The Phantom of the Sewers
by Who am I. Well. I'm just Me
Summary: Passion is a positive obsession. Obsession is a negative passion which leads to inevitable tragedy. Based on the 2k3 - 2k7 CG TMNT Read, review and enjoy! Thank you! Art by Dr-Innocentchild
1. Chapter 1

"_It's said that music knows no boundaries; music is imagination, music is freedom, music is passion._

_I say music is love… but love can be tragic"_

-Who.

…

…

* * *

Silence is something you won't find in a room full of musicians, especially when they're teenagers and the scene in this particular rehearsal room was proof of that statement.

2:30 pm. The choir room of was full of young boys and girls from 15 to 22 years old. A group of them sat on the carpeted floor, singing the most popular songs and accompanied by acoustic guitars and drums while the others checked the bulletin board, read a book, used the big and spacious whiteboard to write down notes or hummed the notes of old Aria, Vocalize or Vaccai exercises. But not everything was music centered in this room.

Some girls checked their makeup in the mirrored walls while gossiping about the latest events; a couple of boys used the computers to check their mail and social accounts and some others had their noses buried in their cell phones, their thumbs flying over the small, rubbery keys.

Everyone was minding their own business until a tall, slim and serious woman around her forties came into the room.

"Silence, please," she said in a calm but still firm voice.

The woman was dressed in black from head to toe, her brown hair was tied up in a short pony tail and the lenses of her glasses were very thick and protected her penetrating gray eyes. The noisy crowd shut their mouths and emitted no sound as they went to sit in their respective places.

"Thank you, guys. Now… as you all already know, Halloween night is just a month away and we know what that means."

"PARTY TIME!" A voice came from behind and the whole crowd muffled their giggles at the young man's cheerful comment.

"Pretty funny, Mr. Johnson," the woman said, rolling her eyes. "What I was going to say is that our chorus and orchestra must prepare a musical for such an occasion, just like it's done for all holidays existent in the last 65 years."

"Mrs. Harris, we know already," a red head girl in jeans and green shirt replied. "There is no need to-"

"-yet you still haven't chosen a theme. Am I right, Miss Yoriksson?" Harris replied, giving the girl mild glare.

"Relax, Mrs. H! That's gonna be easy peasy!"

Harris turned her gaze to an African-American, honey eyed teen boy who went by the name Ted, lead voice of the bass section. He was dressed in beige baggy pants, dark glasses, a piano-print T-shirt, sneakers and leather wristbands on each wrist. The young man smiled brightly at the woman while he twirled his drumsticks skillfully between his fingers.

"So I must assume that you have picked a theme already, Mr. Johansen? Since you sound so confident," Harris said, walking towards the young man's seat.

"You bet! We got ourselves a theme so cool you gonna be more than impressed, ma'am!" Ted replied, earning the applause of a few comrades.

"Well then, I wish to know," the woman said, folding her arms. Johansen felt his confidence crumble and his blood turn to ice.

"Uh… k-know what?"

"Your theme."

"Oh! Our theme!" Ted chuckled nervously. "Well, thing is… uh… you see… there's this…"

People in the room gave brief glances to each other and whispered but it was Harris' stern look that made them lower their gazes and close their mouths. Lucile Harris was the strictest pianist teacher and vocal coach known in New York City; everything she did was beyond perfect and she expected the best from her members. She also didn't tolerate liars, which was the reason she got divorced so quickly after 5 months of marriage with a Russian violinist who cheated on her. Now, they all knew Johansen had made a big mistake by lying to Harris and if he didn't think of something quick, she would make them all suffer the unimaginable.

"I'm waiting, Mr. Johansen," Harris said in a monotone voice, drumming her long, bony fingers on her arm.

"Well, we can't tell ya cuz it's gonna be a surprise!" Ted said with a wide smile. "Right, guys?"

The room filled with hesitant comments supporting their friend's statement and shy nods; Ted kept smiling, his confidence restored thanks to his partners. Harris arched a brow and unfolded her arms just to adjust her glasses.

"Hmm, I am eager to see the final results," she said, turning around and picking her bag. "I shall come back in three weeks to see what you have so far."

As Lucile walked towards the door, tension could be felt in the air. Angry eyes landed on Ted who grinned goofily and cracked bad jokes but stopped talking after noticing Deuce Gordon and Fiona Rossi's piercing glare.

Deuce was a turquoise-eyed, 24 year old tenor, tall with a muscular built body and dark hair with green highlights. He was the "eldest" of the team and in addition, everyone followed his command blindly. A rule that Ted had completely ignored.

Fiona, a 19 year old Italian soprano, average height with short, brown hair and chestnut eyes, was the second in command and voice of reason while her best friend Helga Yoriksson, a 20 year old Swedish alto, was the one with the explosive behavior and quick responses.

Ted knew that he was in big trouble when he felt the gazes of his three friends on him; he buried himself deeper in his seat, waiting for the yelling to begin. The wooden door slammed shut and made everyone jump in fear. Once she was gone, Johansen found himself surrounded.

"Good one, _fåntratt_!" Helga hissed. "Why you say that to Harris?!"

"Whoa, whoa! Hold it!" Ted rose from his seat, holding his hands up in a defensive pose. "I have no idea what you just called me but I'm having the slight impression you guys are angry at me."

"You don't say," a blue eyed guy from the crowd said sarcastically. "What did you expect us to do for what you_ said_?! Throw you a party?!"

"That'd be nice, yes!" Ted chuckled.

"You messed up big time, Ted!" a brunette yelled from the crowd; a few more girls joined her throwing accusatory statements at the poor guy.

Johansen rubbed the back of his neck and blushed in embarrassment. "Ok, ok! Maybe I got a lil' carried away..."

"A LITTLE?!" everyone yelled in unison.

"Dude, you lied to _Lucile Harris_!" Deuce replied. "She's gonna kill us when she knows we don't have anything ready!"

"We not have theme…!" Helga added.

"Or a theater…" Fiona continued. "… or an orchestra director, theater director or choir director."

Ted smiled and patted his friends' backs. "Fellas, ya forgettin' this is Halloween we talking 'bout! And what's better than the most epic classic of all times?"

Deuce gave his friend a knowing look. "You mean…"

"Oh no! You **not** going to say what I think you going to say," Helga protested.

"My friends, we gonna be doing: 'The Phantom of the Opera'!"

People went from ticked off to excited after hearing Ted's idea. But it seemed that not everyone was happy about it.

"Have you gone _galen_?!" Helga asked "_The Phantom_'s production means work, money and time! And we not have them!"

"I have to agree with Helga," Fiona seconded her friend. "We'll have to think of something else"

"You kiddin' me, right? Everybody loves The Phantom! We have nothing to lose!" Ted protested.

"But we have to be realistic, pal" Deuce replied. "We may be ready musically speaking but-"

"-we can sing at the Radio City Music Hall."

Everyone turned their attention to the voice in the hidden seat at farthest corner of the room.

The sound of high heels echoed in the place and intensified as the owner of the mystery voice approached to the crowd. Everyone in the room gasped once the figure came to the light; before their eyes was Frida Higgins, the most arrogant mezzo soprano they had ever met. Her devilish, tinted red hair played with the soft breeze of air, her green eyes sparkled evilly and her red lips curled in a smug grin.

"_Vad är det slyna gör här?_"

"Helga, show some respect!" Fiona reprimanded her. "Now, what did you just say, Frida?"

"I said… we can sing at the Radio City Music Hall," Frida said. "Dad's got a few contacts over there."

The mumbling and whispering began once again. Had Frida really said that or was this a very twisted dream or alternate reality where Frida was actually a lovely girl, eager to help her comrades?

"How come are you being so collaborative?" Deuce asked, arching a brow.

"Yeah, what's the catch?!" Ted seconded him.

Frida smiled as sweetly as she could. "No catch. And since you have no other options, I think you must take my offer. It'd be so foolish if you say no… don't you think?"

Helga and Ted shared a doubtful gaze with each other and the rest of the choir while Fiona approached their leader. "Deuce? What do you say?"

After a few moments of silence, Gordon finally spoke. "Huddle up"

The three teenagers did what he requested while the others praised Frida for her "generosity", hoping Deuce and the other lead voices accepted the deal.

"Guys, we all know Frida is up to something" Deuce started. "But-"

"-she could be our only hope, as weird as that sounds," Fiona finished the statement.

"I don't know, man" Ted argued. "That viper never plays fair."

"What _else_ we can do? She is trying to fix mess_ you_ got us into," Helga replied. "I say: we take offer!"

"I am not getting any younger, guys. Decide already."

The group turned their attention to Frida who tapped her right foot impatiently; Deuce looked at his friends, none of them were happy with the final decision but it had to be done. Nodding once, he accepted the deal.

The rehearsal room cheered and clapped in excitement and joy while Higgins smiled widely, pleased with her triumph.

"But…" Deuce said, interrupting the celebrating crowd "…if something starts going fishy, you're out. Understood, Higgins?"

Frida mimicked a cross over her chest with her black gloved fingers. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

"Wish that second one would come true," Johansen whispered earning a hit on the head from Fiona.

"Ow! Just kiddin', don't get your panties in a bunch!"

"What about the choir director?" a guy asked.

"I call Mr. Danny Evans," Helga suggested.

"Crazy Evans is still alive?" a girl asked in surprised.

"_Ja_!"

"Cool! With Crazy Danny on board, there ain't nothin' we can't do!" Ted said enthusiastically.

"Then it's settled! The Phantom's production is a go!" Fiona stated; people in the room high-fived and cheered loudly.

"Listen up!" Deuce yelled. "Call everyone you know who's been part of a choir, we're going to need a lot of people."

"Charlotte, you take care of costume design. Make Teresa and Vlad help you," Helga instructed.

"Roger that!"

"Chris, I want you to make sure all instruments are ready. Rehearsals start tomorrow." Fiona ordered.

"I'm not sure if I can convince the violin section to come, they're on vacation," the guy called Chris said with a worried expression on his face.

"Tell them Crazy Evans is going to be here," Ted said. "Trust me, they will not refuse after hearing that."

"Ted, you better pick the most capable basses you can find," Deuce commented. "I don't want amateurs in this production like what happened last year."

"Aye aye, Captain!" Johansen grinned, giving his friend a military salute.

"I'll try to get the theater director," Fiona said.

Deuce nodded in agreement. "Good; I'll go for the orchestra director. Oh by the way, are all the sopranos available?"

"Absolutely-"

"_Nej!_"

Deuce blinked. "Uh, gesundheit?"

"I think that's a no, dude," Ted said. "Cuz Operetta-girl, ain't here."

"Who?"

Fiona nodded. "Exactly."

"No, I was asking you… who?"

"She's talking about Whoey, man," Ted chuckled.

"Oh right," Deuce palm-heeled his face. "That nickname always confuses me."

"Come to think of it, Who's been gone for a month now," Fiona commented.

"WHAT! But why?!"

"I hear Harris say she was on vacation," Helga answered. "I call her _tusen_ times but cell phone must be _trasig _because she never answers."

"Any other contacts, her parents maybe?" Deuce insisted.

Ted shrugged. "We don't know of any relatives; she's never mentioned them before."

"Friends?"

"All the choir, except for Frida…" Fiona said "…and all the people in the orchestra but they know nothing."

Gordon ran both hands through his hair with a loud sigh. Just when things were going perfect, _this _had to happen.

"Now, where in the world could she be?"

…

…

* * *

_Fåntratt: _Imbecile, idiot.

_Galen:_Mad, crazy.

_Vad är det slyna gör här?_: What's that b***h doing here?

_Ja!_: Yes.

_Nej!: _No.

_Tusen: _Thousand.

_Trasig: _Broken.

_A/N: Yes, Helga will actually have slight Swedish accent. Deal with it! _

…

Like it? Want more?

Well, I've got news for you, my lovelies: THERE IS NO MORE! (For now~) Haha! I'm so mean!

I bet y'all saying: Girl's gone mad! August ain't over yet and Halloween is… like… _**2 months away**_!

Yes, I know is hella early _**but**_… I have plans for this story and this lil' chapter needed to be posted right away.

By the way, I'll be writing this story with the help the most incredible human being I've ever met and have the honor to call: _"best friend and sister for all eternity"_.

I'm talking about:

**Saya, The Ninja Cat! **

Thanks a bunch, my sister, for being my Beta Reader!If you guys have time, go read her stories. She's awesome!

Let me know what you think of this chapter/teaser thingy on the comment section below; only constructive and positive feedback will be allowed. Flamers will be used to… hmm… well I don't hate Nick anymore, at least not so much.

But I still hate M. Bay, though.

Alright, flamers will be used to burn M. Bay and the new series' Shredder… which makes me feel bad because I kinda like this new Shredder.

Ok, I better stop now.

Read, comment, fav, follow, thumbs up, like it… and all the rest.

C'ya!


	2. Chapter 2

A very impatient Mikey stared in deep concentration at the several piles of sand scattered all over the beach. "Dude, how long do we have to wait?!"

"Patience, my son," Splinter said. "You can not control the way Mother Nature does things, nor when."

"I know, Sensei, but-"

"-Mikey, relax! It's not like you've never seen this happen before," Raph replied.

"That was only on TV," Who commented. "This is ten times better than in a documentary."

"She's got a point," Don seconded.

The orange clad turtle sighed in resignation and went back to trying to focus on the task his human friend had given to him to pass the time. He grabbed another three thin strands of hair and started criss-crossing them while the girl remained sitting up straight, waiting for the five pair of hands to finish braiding her long dark hair.

Looking at the sea, Who's mind began to wander; the memories of this sabbatical month replaying in her head made her smile.

These vacations had been incredible; for once in her life she didn't have to worry about anything, and neither had the turtles and their sensei. All they had to do was enjoy Hawaii to the fullest. They arrived at sunset using Don's copter and Who had rented a hut in a special part of the island where no one would disturb them. They wouldn't need to hide here, just move around freely.

During their time in Hawaii, Leo and Mikey had had time to practice their surfing skills and the orange masked turtle wouldn't put his surfing board down not even for a second. Raph took advantage of that and just snoozed under a palm tree, without worrying about his youngest brother pulling pranks on him. Don couldn't stop collecting flower seeds and native bugs to study and classify once they went back home. Who took pictures of everything and bought souvenirs and clothes while Splinter relaxed on his own and forgot about the stresses of being the father of four teenage turtles. They also enjoyed group excursions to places no tourist had ever been and had nightly campfires like the one they were having right now.

But tonight's campfire was not for telling stories; they were waiting for a great event to happen: the hatching of the Green Sea baby turtles. Mikey, being the most impatient, had been constantly asking when the babies would make their appearance, so Who allowed him to braid her hair in order to pass the time. The idea was so good the rest of the team tagged along a few minutes later.

"Could someone tell me: how did we end up playing beauty salon with lil' witch here?" Raph said out of the blue.

"You were all bored and I needed a hairdo," Who answered.

"Think of it as a nice way to pass the time. You know, until the babies hatch and all that," Leo said.

"It's kinda hard to braid hair with three fingers, though," Don admitted with a nervous giggle.

"Guys! It's time!"

The team's eyes landed on the spot Mikey was pointing at; the tiny heads of the first newborn turtles peeked out the sand and their beady dark eyes looked briefly at their surroundings before they began to squirm out of the pile of sand that had protected them and instinctively made their way to the sea. A few seconds later, more baby turtles appeared and followed the others at a quick pace.

"Awww! They're so cute!" Mikey squealed. "You think I could keep one?"

Who laughed. "To be honest, I don't think little Klunk would want to share his daddy with another pet."

"Besides, you can't adopt a wild sea turtle just like that," Don added. "They are meant to be free, not end up as pets."

The first babies had made it to the shore and there were still more incoming, their little flippers dragging their tiny and fragile bodies through the sand. The turtles couldn't help but smile at the sight before their eyes; it was like seeing a different, non-mutated version of themselves and even Splinter aww'ed every now and then.

One of the tiny turtles was still struggling to get out of the pile of sand and caught Mikey's attention.

"Oh no! Little fella needs help!" He was about to get up when he felt a hand grabbing his, stopping him.

"Mikey, we can't interfere with this," Leo said.

"But that poor baby needs help!" Mikey replied. "He can't get out of there!"

"I know it's hard to watch, but that's the way things are in wild life."

"It's just like the butterflies' struggle before getting out of their chrysalides; it makes their wings stronger," Don explained. "In the sea turtle case, it's like training their little flippers so once they reach water, they can swim easily."

Mikey looked sadly at the tiny creature, still struggling while the others continued. "What if he can't make it?"

Don sighed. "Natural selection, I guess. The strong survives, the weak… you know…"

"It's not fair."

"Neither is life, bro," Raph said, patting his youngest brother's shell.

Mikey didn't care about the other baby turtles anymore after seeing that baby still trying to free himself. He thought he had seen those tiny eyes look at him pleadingly, like asking him for help, but Mikey knew his brothers were right, he couldn't interfere. This was the way Mother Nature did things… and Mikey hated it.

"You know, maybe you _**could**_ help him," Who said.

Mikey's eyes opened wide, the sparkle of hope shining in them once again. "Really?! How?"

"Moral support. Talk to him, cheer him up!" the girl suggested. "You're a turtle, he might understand you"

Don snorted. "Who, that's not logi-"

"You're right! Thanks sis!" The nunchuck wielder jumped back on his feet and ran towards the baby turtle. "Hang on, little dude! Mikey's coming!"

"You don't seriously think that's gonna work, right?" Raph asked while looking at the girl skeptically.

Who didn't say a word but her lips curled up slightly in a knowing smirk.

Once Mikey reached the tiny turtle, said creature turned his gaze at this overgrown strange looking turtle. His dark eyes stared at Mikey as he waved his flippers in the air, like trying to request for assistance. The orange-clad ninja sighed heavily and knelt beside the pile of sand.

"Sorry I can't help you, little dude; you have to do this yourself… that's how things are."

Surprisingly, the baby squirmed one more time as if showing Mikey how hard the task was and then stopped moving. The ninja was shocked; did his tiny friend understand him for real? Leaving all his questions and doubts aside for later, he resolved to keep talking to the baby turtle.

"I know it's hard but you can do it! Look at your bros and sis! They're waiting for you" Mikey said pointing at the horizon. "You just have to try a little harder."

The baby seemed to understand Mikey's encouraging words and, with a little more effort, he finally wiggled his tiny body out of the sand. Mikey's grin was wide enough to split his face in two.

"That's it, that's it!"

With the help of his flippers, the little creature began to go down the "enormous" pile of sand. He tripped with a conch shell and went rolling down the pile. Mikey contained his breath, hoping the turtle wouldn't land on his shell which, luckily, didn't happen. Shaking his tiny head to get rid of the sand on top of it, the baby turtle began to follow his brothers and sisters.

"WOOHOO! YOU GO, LITTLE DUDE!" Mikey yelled in glee air pumping his fist in victory. He didn't know exactly how this had happened but he couldn't care less, the little baby was about to join his family.

The tiny baby looked back at the giant talking turtle and turned around, his tiny beak nudged Mikey's toe as a symbol of gratitude.

"Aww~ No need to thank me, little baby," Mikey cooed. "Now go before they leave you!"

The baby looked at Mikey one last time before he set his sight on the shore and continued his way to the sea. Meanwhile, the whole family had been watching the scene with wide eyes and opened mouths. The only ones not surprised were Splinter and Who, they both smiled as if knowing that was going to happen.

"Unbelievable. How did you know it was going to work?" Leo asked in awe.

Who chuckled. "Intuition."

…

* * *

Minutes passed and most of the babies were already swimming their way to open sea while the turtles and sensei rat finished their handiwork on the girl's hair.

"This is the perfect way to end the day," Don said to himself, but loud enough for the others to hear.

"You mean by braiding Rapunzel's hair here? Tch, yeah right," Raph said sarcastically. "We're never going to finish!"

"For your information, my hair is not THAT long. Just some… inches below the hip," Who argued. "And be grateful I let you put your hands on my precious."

Raph snorted. "Well, you don't seem to have any trouble letting _Fearless _here touch_'your precious'_ anytime he wants."

Leo gave his brother a glare. "That's not true!"

"I'm done," The genius said, showing Who his part of the job.

"Nice work, Donnie."

"I didn't make them tight enough," Leo admitted with a slight red color tinting his cheeks.

"It was a nice try, though."

Mikey waved his hand excitedly. "Look at mine, look at mine!"

Who giggled as she saw the slightly messy braids. "Aww, you put tiny turtle hair clips at the end."

"Does that give me extra points?"

"This is not a competition Mikey, but you were creative, I have to admit."

Suddenly, a bunch of half perfectly braided strands hair came into the girl's sight. "Don't start whining if you don't like them," came Raph's gruff voice

"But you did great! Why should I whine?" Who said, admiring the impulsive turtle's job.

"Wow, Raph beat us all on braiding hair? That's…" Don couldn't find words to express his surprise and neither could his brothers.

Except for the youngest of the team, that is.

"I knew he had a natural gift for girly stuff!" Mikey said, giggling. "First it was knitting, then hair styling. What's next, Raphie? Baking?"

The sai wielder pulled his laughing brother into a headlock and the others just watched and laughed while Mikey tried to squirm out of Raphael's deadly grip and shout out apologies.

"Aren't you going to stop them, Sensei?" Leo asked, trying to contain his laughter.

"Michelangelo knows well not to bother his brother; it is a shame he has to learn that lesson the hard way. Besides, I am on vacation," Splinter said calmly as he finished braiding the last strand of hair, placing a blue plumeria flower behind the girl's right ear.

"Nice final touch, Master Splinter." Who smiled, admiring her braided hair. "Say… you've done this before, haven't you?"

The old rat smiled. "Well, I must admit I had more than enough practice in the time Miss O'Neil lived with us."

"You know? I don't think I'm ready to leave this place yet," Don said, stretching his arms lazily.

"Ditto! These have been the best vacations ever!" Mikey seconded. "Sun, sand and sea-"

"-no worries about some sicko going after our shells, or stinking Foot Ninjas-" Raph added, leaning his shell on a palm tree.

"-and don't forget about the food and the landscape," Leo continued.

"And all of that could not have been possible without you, young lady," Splinter ended, receiving nods of approval. "My sons and I are grateful for such a generous gift."

"Aww~ But you don't have to thank me at all, dadd-"

She froze; so did everyone else.

By the time she realized, all eyes had landed on her before she could finish her previous statement, and the dark haired girl just wanted the earth to open and swallow her up.

Who blushed in embarrassment. "I… Sensei, I'm sorry. I-I didn't…"

"It is alright, my dear," Splinter chuckled. "I do not mind having another daughter."

"Who's the first one?" Mikey whispered.

"He's talking about April, duh!" Don answered.

"Really? I thought he was talking about Miss Raphie, The Braid Mistress~"

"WHY YOU!"

While Mikey tried to not get himself caught by Raph, Leo and Don shook their heads and laughed at the youngest's distress. Splinter was right: Mikey _**did **_learn things the hard way. As for the old rat, he merely watched and laughed silently. Seeing his sons chasing each other was far more entertaining than his soap operas at the moment.

Suddenly, the dark haired girl stood up and dusted the sand off her legs the best she could before starting to walk away from the group. Don noticed the sudden movement and turned his attention to the girl.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"I'll be back in the hut," Who answered while walking. "You guys tell me if all the babies made it to the sea, ok? Or if Mikey made it out alive, anyway."

Leo and Don shared puzzled looks with each other. When they turned their sight back the girl, she was gone. Now that had been a little odd; why did she leave so suddenly?

"Ooook? Any idea why she left in such a hurry?" Don asked.

"I might have one. But for now, I'd better go check if she's ok," Leo said, abandoning his spot by the fire as well.

"Again? You've been checking on her almost all the time!"

"What are you talking about?"

The expression on the genius' face was clearly a teasing one: the corner of his mouth curled up, his right brow arched and his arms folded against his chest.

"Don't give me that face, Donatello. I haven't been checking on her."

The purple-clad ninja shrugged but didn't erase the smug smirk from his face. "Whatever you say, bro. Just don't complain when Raph teases you."

"Yeah right," Leo rolled eyes. "By the way, Mikey is throwing sand at your laptop."

"WHAT!"

Leo couldn't help but laugh after seeing the expression on his most intelligent brother's face after he broke the unfortunate news, but now Don was distracted chasing Mikey, so the sword wielder took advantage of this to follow his friend without being teased. Again.

* * *

…

…

Alright, another chappie that has nothing to do with Epic Halloween time… yet. I just like to spoil you, guys! Especially since my updates became slower and slower. Sorry about that.

Busy me is busy but still… that's not an excuse!

I'll get to work on my other stories soon.


	3. Chapter 3

The sight before the dark haired girl's eyes was breathtaking; the dark sky was full of stars that glowed like tiny diamonds upon her. The way the waves hit the rocks with such intensity and raw power, the light sound of waves washing on shore like a smooth melody… it was simply beautiful. Who took a deep breath, a sweet mist filled her lungs and the cool breeze entangled itself in her braided hair; she smiled softly and closed her eyes, letting the cold breeze caress her skin.

In less than a blink, her eyes opened.

She jumped back on her feet, taking a defensive posture to welcome the sudden intruder that had come to bother her peaceful moment. Even in the darkness, her eyes could see movement; someone was behind the palm trees, waiting for a moment of distraction to attack her. Who held her breath, took a step forward towards the palm trees and threw a punch. When nothing happened, she went back to her spot near the border of the rocky little cliff. She focused on the sea and let it enchant her once again.

It was then that she felt steps behind her and, turning around swiftly, threw a kick to whoever was behind her. Turned out it was someone familiar.

"Whoa!" Leo exclaimed, stopping the incoming kick with his hands. "Easy, it's just me."

Who relaxed after seeing it was just the blue-clad ninja and lowered her foot once Leo let go of it.

"How did you know I was going to be here?"

Leo gave her a smile. "Intuition. Mind if I join you?"

The girl shrugged and sat down, her legs dangling off the border of the cliff. Leonardo took a seat beside his friend in lotus position. The only sound between them was the waves hitting the rocks and the leaves _'dancing'_ along with the breeze.

"It's quite beautiful up here," the ninja said. Who nodded in agreement.

"So… young lady… mind to explain why you left in such a rush?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You _**do**_ know what I'm talking about," Leo replied. "When you called Splinter_ 'dad'_, you froze. Why?"

"Leo, curiosity killed the cat and _**will **_kill a turtle if you keep at it," Who hissed, giving the ninja a murderous glare.

Leonardo chuckled and turned his attention back to the sea. "I was just asking… but if you don't want to talk I won't pressure you."

The blue-clad turtle could feel Who's angry gaze on him; he could tell she was really ticked off now.

"You're doing it again," Who accused him.

"What?" Leo asked innocently.

"Reverse psychology. You say you can't pressure me but you _**know**_ I will end up telling you. But guess what?! That ain't gonna work with me, Fearless!"

"Ok."

"I mean it! I won't say a word."

Leo shrugged. "Alright."

"I'll just ignore you and enjoy the view instead," the girl ended, folding her arms tightly against her chest.

"Good for you."

Both ninja and girl stared at the sea, ignoring each other. But the girl couldn't exactly appreciate the sight before her eyes… not without imagining Leo's sly smirk and that _'I told you so'_ expression on his face.

Damn, she really hated it when Fearless Leader was right.

"Fine, I'll tell you," the girl said, growling a bit. "You happy?"

Leo nodded. "Pretty much."

Who sighed and ran a palm across her face. She was glad Leo came to find her alone so she wouldn't have to explain this to the others as well. Telling Leonardo was embarrassing enough.

"I left because I… well, I didn't mean to call Splinter… you know…"

"It's not like you insulted him. You've been part of this family for two years now. It's ok if you see a dad in Splinter. He really doesn't mind. On the contrary, he feels honored to know you see him as a fatherly figure and not just a Sensei."

"No offense, but it didn't feel right to me," Who replied.

Leo chuckled. "And may I ask why?"

"Because… I already have a father," Who sighed. "And I hadn't mentioned or thought of him in the last two years."

The smile on Leo's face vanished after hearing this. It was rare to hear Who talk about her family. She preferred not to so her unfortunate past would remain forever locked and someday forgotten. But somehow, bits of her memories had started to make their way through her mind during this month in Hawaii, especially when looking at the sea. It would seem that the blue watery surface was a giant photo album for Who and every time she looked at it, a new memory would return to her. Some of them bad, some of them good; this time was a good memory apparently.

"You've never told me about him. What's he like?" Leo asked, leaning into a nearby rock.

The dark haired girl smiled softly. That was a tricky question. She could say lots of wonderful things about his father and even then, she wouldn't be able to capture his essence completely. Leo's sensei and father was a good reference for a description, minus the fact of being a giant rat. After all, she didn't call Splinter _'dad'_ randomly. It was because of their similarities that the memory of her father had come to light again.

"Well, he's understanding, sweet, wise, loving… incredibly overprotective…" she said, making an emphasis on the last part, which made Leo laugh.

Of course her father had to be overprotective, what kind of father wouldn't be?

That could be applied to his sensei too. What reason, other than overprotection, would Splinter have to give them strict curfews every time they went to the surface, even when he was fully aware his students were old enough and fully trained?

"But you know why I really appreciate him?" Who continued. "Because he didn't turn into a heartless monster, unlike my mom and sister."

Leo hmmed in understanding. "I see. Hey, why don't you call him one of these days?"

The girl's expression turned gloomy. "I can't."

Leo sighed. "I know your mom was treating you horribly, and no one should have to pass through that after a surgery, but… it's been two years. What if everything's ok now? What if things cooled down already? What if-"

"-In case you don't remember, my mother doesn't want to see me! You heard the phone call, Leo. You were there the night I _**dropped**_ the phone off the _**building**_ after listening to all her insults! I know she hates me, and so does my sister, and I bet they made up a story so Dad would hate me too!"

"But what if you're wrong?"

Who grew tired of Leo's insistent _'what ifs'._ She stood up, leaving Leo sitting in the sand as she made her way through the palm tree forest. She was about to reach the rocky ladder that would lead her back to ground but the blue-clad ninja jumped in front of her blocking her path.

'_Damn ninja training,'_ she thought.

"We're not done here," Leo said, using his leader voice.

"Leonardo, move!"

"I won't until you understand that you can't give up on your father just like that. What if he's waiting for you to call and tell him your version of the story- the _**real**_ version?"

"I know he won't listen! Besides, it will be the best for everyone if we just leave things the way they are."

Who turned around glancing at the sea again. She could hear the sigh of frustration coming from Leonardo.

"But you're not happy, Who," he stated, sadness present in his voice.

The girl stiffened. "You think I'm not happy? I have friends, a job…" She turned around and looked at the blue-clad ninja, straight into his eyes. "…I have _**freedom**_, Leo! I'm free to think and act by myself, and I'm honored to be living with you guys, and call you my family."

The blue clad ninja lowered his gaze in defeat, but jerked his head up when he felt a hand cupping his cheek.

"I _**am **_happy, bro," Who said, smiling.

Leonardo could not return the smile. He could feel she was lying but he decided not to continue with this argument. Who let her hand drop from Leo's face, her smile vanishing. The blue-clad ninja turned around towards the rocky ladder and began his descent off the cliff.

"I _**still**_ believe you are being unfair with your father," Leo replied.

Who arched a brow. "Unfair? How?"

"By not letting him know you still love him and for not sharing that _'happiness'_ with him.

With that said, Leonardo disappeared from the girl's sight and she was left alone with her thoughts once again. Who looked at the sea again. It brought her back so many memories that she resolved to not see it again. Leonardo's words repeated several times, flooding her mind and making her feel somehow guilty.

She huffed. "I really hate when he's right."

Giving a last glance at the sea, she took the blue plumeria from behind her right ear. She smelled the subtle scent before giving a light kiss to the flower and letting it be carried away by the wind.

"I miss you, Daddy"

…

* * *

Back in New York, the choir's lead voices yawned and stirred tiredly from their spots on the floor, couch or wherever they had managed to fall down from exhaustion. The Phantom's production was officially a go and all voices must be present for auditions, but with Who having disappeared, they couldn't begin. So they had been looking for the young soprano all night without rest and, sadly, no success.

"Anything?" Helga asked with a yawn.

"No. She's not in Orlando either," Fiona answered, fighting not to close her eyes.

"Guys, how about we take a break? It's 8 am, we haven't slept all night and I bet you're hungry," Deuce suggested, earning approving nods from both girls.

"Alright, let's go get some breakfast before heading to the theater."

"Just a sec, I'm commenting a pic," Ted said.

Deuce caught a glance of the image and whistled in admiration. "Nice shot. Is that Hawaii?"

"You betcha! And this is a cool pic indeed," Ted commented. "I knew Whoey had a gift for photography and stuff."

Both girls and Deuce froze. "Did you say 'Who'?" they asked in unison. Ted answered with a nod.

"When did she post that photo?" Fiona asked eagerly.

"Two hours ago. Why?" Johansen asked back, but then realization hit him. "Oh… right."

Helga, Fiona and Deuce looked at Ted with angry eyes. With all the tension, stress and lack of sleep, they just had one thing in mind: kill Johansen. Fortunately for Ted, they were still a bit lethargic so they limited themselves to glaring furiously at him.

"What?! I was just checking my Facebook and this pic appeared!" Ted defended himself. "It ain't my problem if you guys don't check your Facebook regularly."

"Because we _**do **_have lives", Helga replied bitterly.

"And mine's not complete without you, Sugar," Ted said teasingly, earning a whack over the head from the Swedish girl.

"Guys, enough," Deuce interfered. "Ted, is Who logged in?"

"It appears so. Hang on, I have her Skype number."

Johansen typed the numbers rapidly and dialled. Everyone surrounded Ted waiting for Who's face to appear in the screen.


	4. Chapter 4

It was almost 2 am when the Hamato family reunited back in the hut. Donatello was finishing a little snack when Leonardo entered a few seconds later and headed to the bathroom to take a shower. Splinter was already out like a light, sleeping soundly in his soft bed. Raphael joined them later carrying a slumbering Michelangelo in his arms.

"Looks like someone's batteries ran out," Don commented.

"It was about time; I don't think I could've dealt with his hyperactivity for much longer," Raph chuckled. "Is Sensei in bed, Don?"

"Went to sleep an hour ago and we should be doing the same."

"Don't need to tell _me_ twice. I'll just drop the knucklehead in his room before I hit the hay." With that said, Raph went upstairs with the snoring orange-clad turtle in his arms.

Once Raph reached Mikey's room, he turned around and tried pushing the door open with his shell but to his bad luck, the damned thing was closed. It took all his ninja skills to open the door without waking up his youngest brother; if Mikey woke up now, he'd be cranky and more annoying than usual… and no one would like that at 2 am. Carefully, maneuvering Mikey's weight on his other arm, Raph opened the door as silently as he could. Good news was the door opened without a sound.

The bad news? Mikey had clung onto his arm like hugging a teddy bear.

The red-clad ninja let his brother's body lay down in the soft bed and tried to free his arm from Mikey's strong and possessive grip. Raph wanted to jostle his brother so badly right now but a cranky Mikey was not a nice sight and he was too tired to deal with that or even explode in anger. One by one, Raph removed Mikey's fingers from his arm but every time he did so, the youngest would just hold his other arm or hand or whatever he could cling onto.

Raph sighed in frustration; would he have to spend the rest of the night as… Mikey's teddy bear? _For real?!_ This had to be a nightmare!

"I see you're having a little problem there, Raph," Leo's voice came from behind.

Raph sighed. "You don't say."

"You could just sleep with him, you know?" Leo said in a hushed tone. "Because I don't think he'll let you go, and you know better than waking Mikey up when he's deep asleep."

"And get teased in the morning? No, thanks!" Raph replied, raising his voice a little and causing Mikey to stir in his sleep.

"Raph, be quiet for god's sake!" Leo reprimanded his hothead brother.

"Can't you just help me, _oh Fearless one_?!"

The sword wielder rolled his eyes and sighed; if an annoying Mikey was bad, a whining Raph was terrible. He tried to lure sleeping Mikey to hug his stuffed panda bear but it was hopeless; the youngest refused to let go of Raphael. Michelangelo had a death grip on him and mumbled something in his sleep.

"Damn kid, what's gotten into him?!"

"He might be having a nightmare," Leo commented. Raph was about to reply when Mikey's mumbles turned into clear words.

"N-no… bad pickles, bad…"

Leo chuckled. "Yeap, he's definitely having one."

The red-clad turtle growled. "Either way, I ain't staying here with Mike."

"Gnehngnh…evil pickles… don't eat Raphie…" The mentioned turtle mumbled.

Leo had to choke back a laugh and try to avoid Raph's glare. "Aww, c'mon Raph. Have a heart; Mikey is just _'trying to protect you' _in his sleep. Isn't that true, little bro?"

Mikey yawned loudly. "Yeah… eat all the bad pickles… keep Raphie safe…"

Now it was Raph's time to stiffen a chuckle; Leo, on the other hand, was having a hard time trying not to laugh out loud. The sai-wielder shook his head while grinning; he really didn't have other choice, so it seemed. Slipping into the bed and trying not to jostle Mikey too much, Raph finally lied down beside the youngest turtle.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," he sighed.

"It's just for one night. No big deal," Leo said.

"Yeah, sure. You're just saying that cuz it ain't _your_ arm."

The leader laughed quietly while he walked away, and after exchanging the respective _'good byes', _he left Raph and Mikey and made his way to his room. Meanwhile, once Donatello finished cleaning up the kitchen, the genius turtle went upstairs ready for a long night of sleep. Going to bed at 2 am was almost natural for him back in New York because of all his projects, but during these vacations, his main job was to have fun. It consumed pretty much the same lapse of time and drained his energy twice as fast, but it felt twice as good.

When he passed by his brothers' rooms, snores of all kind could be heard. Clearly, they were off in Dreamland.

The purple-clad ninja was about to go to his room but the soft light coming from below Who's room's door indicated she was still awake… and that just couldn't be. She needed to be sleeping, not wide awake and probably working.

Don knocked at the door twice before opening it. "Who, go to sleep. It's too late to be chatting."

"I'm not chatting; I'm uploading the pics I took this morning," the girl replied.

"Whatever you're doing, it can wait for tomorrow, Who. Go to bed," the genius insisted.

Who laughed. "Look who's talking, Mr. Workaholic of the Year."

Don blushed in embarrassment but kept his serious posture. Now he understood Leo all those times he had to drag him out of the lab at 3 or 4 am… and sometimes even at 5 or 6 am. Or later.

"I promise I'll turn this off in 10 minutes, ok?" Who said, giving him an innocent look.

Don sighed. "Alright, but no more than 10."

"Yes, Mommy," the girl teased. Don shook his head and left the room.

The last of the pics was being uploaded onto the girl's laptop. She smiled every time she saw them- so many memories… good and bad ones, but mostly good ones. She stirred her arms and yawned; she was just as exhausted as the others were and couldn't wait to hit the hay.

Finally the last pic had been uploaded.

Who was about to turn off the device but her Skype line activated. Someone was calling her. Reluctantly, she accepted the call; whoever was calling… better had a good reason.

The faces of her comrades back at the choir appeared.

"_Whoey!"_ they said in unison. Now _that_ was pleasant surprise.

"Guys! Hello! Long time no see," Who said, smiling the whole time. "How-"

"_-Whoey, you have to come here as soon as you can!" _Fiona said hurriedly.

"But why?"

"_Two words: Halloween play," _Helga answered.

"_We're gonna do The Phantom, girl. And you gotta be here!" _Ted continued.

Who gasped. "Wait, wait… are you serious? The Phantom?! That's awesome! Who's directing?"

"_Danny Evans; we were lucky to contact him before he left to Brussels," _Deuce said grinning.

"_Guys, I got a text form the choir. We had to be there like 15 minutes ago!" _Fiona's voice came from the background.

Deuce came closer to the camera. _"Who, I know you're having a great time in Hawaii, but-"_

"_-vacations are over, you must come." _With that said Helga turned off Ted's laptop, leaving everyone shocked by her attitude.

"What?"

"Uh Helga, don't you think that was a little bit harsh?" Fiona asked, feeling a bit intimidated.

"Not waste time with long _flowery explanations;_ just be direct, makes things easier," Helga explained. "Now let's go!"

…

* * *

_**8:40 am - **__**Radio City Music Hall**_

…

People were already gathered in the scenario when the four friends arrived, panting and sweating from all the running in order to arrive partially on time.

"You think someone noticed us?" Deuce panted.

"Don't think so," Ted said, sighing in relief.

"Don't be so sure, young man." A deep voice could be heard behind Johansen who immediately froze in place.

The man dressed in a designer black suit- Italian designer, real snake-skinned brown shoes, a universal Bluetooth headset in his right ear and golden rings on each finger. He looked as if he was around his 40's; apparently with overweight problems, grey hair and a perfectly trimmed brown moustache. Beside him, there was Frida looking as devilish as always.

The man looked at the four friends like looking at meaningless objects. Fiona had to hide behind Helga because of the sudden panic attack that came upon her.

"Relax, leave this to me," Ted whispered. "Sup! How ya doin'!" he said cheerfully while approaching the man.

"What is he doing?!" Fiona hissed; Helga and Deuce just limited to shrugging and wishing the earth could open and swallow them right now.

In the meantime, Johansen continued talking with a smile on his face. "Whoa man, traffic sure is a big problem in good ol' New York, right?"

Frida and her companion looked at him weirdly. Johansen threw an arm around the man's shoulder's and leant against him trying to look cool; Deuce facepalmed at the action while Helga and Fiona looked away.

"I'm telling ya, I don't know where all those cars come from. One second we're driving peacefully and the next, BOOM! WHOA MOMMA! We're surrounded by all kind of angry drivers. And who they blame? Us! Can you believe it?"

The man freed himself from the awkward _"hug", _making Ted fall.

"OW! What the hell, man!"

"So… this is the ADD guy you were telling me about, Princess?"

Frida huffed. "Unfortunately yes, Daddy"

"Excuse me, sir…" Deuce finally interfered. "…I don't think we've met before. Who are you?"

"Frederick Higgins, music promoter," the man said dryly. "And I believe the message Evans sent said: All the choir must be here at 8:10 am."

"Yeah, you see-" Fiona started.

"-Just so you know, young girl, tardiness is something that will not be tolerated here" Frederick interrupted abruptly. "You and your comrades will have to work on that."

"Now I see where Frida gets her pompous attitude," Fiona mumbled.

"_Sådan far, sådan dotter," _Helga commented.

"So we got here a lil' late. But hey! We're here, looking good, fresh _and_ we don't need _tons_ of make-up. Am I right, _Princess_?" Ted said mockingly, making Frida turn red in anger.

Frederick scoffed. "Well, if that is what you call …'_looking good'_…then-"

"-look who's talking, Mr. barrel-belly."

The grey haired man growled, recognizing whose voice was that. "Evans"

When Evans entered in the place, everyone cheered, whistled and applauded. Evans was a thin but very tall man, 46 years old with short golden hair, big blue eyes and a smile that resembled the Cheshire cat's; that, and his slightly _weird_ attitude, had given him his current nickname: _"Crazy Evans"._ He was dressed informally in black jeans and a white T-shirt with a dragon printed on it.

"Higgins, good morning to you too. I'm surprised to see you here. Didn't you have a boring business meeting somewhere else?"

"Those things can wait. There is no way I'm missing my daughter's great moment, my friend," Frederick said smugly, caressing his daughter's hair.

"Old man, I think your tie is too tight and clearly restricting the circulation to your brain," Evans said tugging at Frederick's tie, earning enthusiastic laughs from everyone. "There won't be any great moment _yet._"

"Wait, aren't the auditions going to be today?" a girl from the crowd said.

Evans shook his head negatively. "Nope."

"But in the message-" Frederick argued.

"-you didn't read between the lines, did you?" Danny chuckled, leaving the grey haired man and the others confused.

"I called you all here to welcome a special someone who, unlike Mr. Higgins, is a great friend of mine."

Again, laughs echoed in the place. Frederick was red, furious and you could almost see smoke coming out of his ears. Ignoring Higgins' anger, Evans proceeded.

"Recently he participated in the production of_ Les Misérables _that was immediately embraced by critics and audience. He's the most talented, gifted virtuoso pianist in all Paris, his hometown, and also a well known tenor/baritone. Please welcome: *****Cécil Dubois!"

From the shadows, a dark suited figure revealed itself; the young man was around his 20's, his dark hair was tied up in a pony tail and his slate-grey eyes captivated the attention of many of the young girls in the room. He was tall and he didn't look quite muscular, but he wasn't completely skinny either. In other words: he was athletic, and dressed in black from head to toe. Dreamy sighs, gasps of admiration and immediate chatter from the girls began as soon as Dubois joined them in the middle of the stage.

"Thank you so much for coming,my dear friend,_" _Evans said, smiling widely and stretching his hand towards his guest of honor.

"Pleasure is entirely mine," Cécil smiled back, shaking hands with Evans. He had a very marked accent, but it was obvious he had dominated English perfectly so a translator wouldn't be needed.

Dubois turned to the curious crowd and smiled at them, causing the ladies to squeal like high school girls.

"You can all call me _Cécil,_ _mess amis_. And I most grateful to be here surrounded by such talented _Mesdames et Messieurs._"

"Oh, but it is us who are grateful for having you here," Evans replied enthusiastically. Then, he directed his attention to the choir.

"My kids, Cécil will help us with theatricality and orchestral direction since -if my memory doesn't fail me- he was part of the same production we are working on."

Cécil chuckled. "That was years ago,_ mon ami_, but I will do my best."

"I'm sure you will. Now, I must leave for a few hours so I'm afraid you're alone with my little devils, but don't worry, they don't bite… much."

Laughs and chuckles from the crowd could be heard once again while Danny departed from the place. Dubois clapped twice and his smiling expression turned into one of pure concentration.

"_Allez! _Let us begin: violin and cello sections will work with me now. The rest, take a moment to tune up your instruments; we will begin in 20 minutes."

"What about the choir, Mr. Dubois?" Fiona asked.

"Just Cécil, _ma chère_" The Frenchman said smirking, making the girl blush furiously.

"Alright… _Cécil_…, what about the auditions? The choir was told to-"

"-_Pardonne moi, mademoiselle_. But I'm afraid you will have to wait until tomorrow" Dubois replied. "To be honest I did not expect you to come but… Evans is… well, he does unexpected things."

Deuce chuckled. "He has been always like that. You'll get used to it"

"So… that means we have the rest of the day free?" Ted asked expectantly.

"_Oui, monsieur."_

"Woohoo! We're outta here! _Au revoir_, Dubois!" Johansen yelled and did the moon walk as he reached the stairs, being followed by the rest of the choir.

Some girls of the orchestra had surrounded Dubois and flooded him with questions while many of the girls from the choir giggled and gossiped about his looks, his accent, his gorgeous eyes… But physical qualities aside, the team was glad to have such a talented member in their ranks.

Nothing would go wrong in this production; that was certain.

* * *

…

…

_Sådan far, sådan dotter:_ Like father, like daughter

_*****_ Pronunciation:_ Ze-ceele Dew-bwa._


	5. Chapter 5

_**9 am – Hawaii**_

…

The Hamato family reunited in the living room after they finished their breakfast in order to organize the day's activities. They were surprised when Who didn't show up for breakfast earlier but Don thought she was just recuperating sleep after a long night in front of her laptop, so they didn't worry too much once they knew this information.

"So, what will it be today: sunbathing, picnic, surfing or sightseeing?" Mikey asked.

"I was thinking… speleology," Don suggested; the youngest looked at him weirdly.

The genius rolled his eyes and sighed. "Means cave exploration, Mikey."

"Do we have the equipment?" Leo asked.

Don nodded. "Sure, it's all in the copter."

"I don't know, I was thinking maybe staying in the hut today would be nicer," Raph commented.

"Wow, here Raphie wants to stay cooped up and in New York he just wants to be outside all night. I think we might need to move out here… don't you think so, Sensei?" Mikey laughed.

"I will consider that, my son," Splinter chuckled.

Raph folded his arms, trying to ignore Mikey's comment and remain calm. "Anyway, you guys gonna go explore caves or what?"

"I'm gonna go surfing again!" the youngest cheered.

"I'll go with Don and explore some caves," Leo said, much to Don's enthusiasm. "You're staying here, Raph?"

Before the red-clad ninja could answer, a feminine presence irrupted in the room.

"I'll tell you what you need to do: pack your stuff!"

The guys turned their attention to the dark haired girl who had finally showed up. She wasn't exactly dressed for a walk in the beach or something like that; her clothes were more serious and behind her there were a couple of bags and her teddy-bear with his own tiny bag on his back.

"Don, get the copter ready. We're leaving today."

"What?!" Everyone said in unison.

"Ok, this… this has gotta be a joke, right?" Raph asked, smirking wryly.

Who shook her head negatively. "No jokes. Start packing; the sooner we leave the better."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down for a second, will you?" Mikey interfered. "Why are we running away like we're being chased?"

"Please, young one, may you explain the reasons for our sudden departure?" Splinter asked calmly.

"One thing I can assure you: no one ever saw us and that is not the reason we are leaving," Who explained. "I got a call a few hours ago. It was Ted and my other friends from the choir and they requested my presence immediately."

"What for? A concert?" Mikey asked.

Who nodded. "Halloween concert to be precise."

"Halloween? That's in October!" The red-clad ninja replied. "Why can't you just relax and start doing your music stuff when the month begins?"

"Things aren't done that way, Raph," Leo said. "It's just like our training- it takes time to master the moves and make them part of yourself."

"Same thing applies to music," Who added. "And we're going to need all the practice we can have if we want this musical to be perfect."

"Musical? Whoa, sounds fancy! What will be the theme?" Don asked.

"Phantom of the Opera."

Don gasped. "You're kidding! I love The Phantom of the Opera!"

"I love it too! And I can't believe they called me to be part of it!" Who said, almost giggling in excitement.

"Wait, wasn't The Phantom a movie?" Mikey asked, scratching his head.

"Well, originally it was a novel by French writer _Gaston Leroux_. Initially, the story sold very poorly upon publication in book form, and it was even out of print several times during the twentieth century. It was overshadowed by the success of its various film and stage adaptations," Don explained.

"The most notable of these were the 1925 film depiction, Ken Hill's 1976 musical at the Theatre Royal Stratford East followed ten years later by Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical, and Lloyd Webber and Joel Schumacher's 2004 film," Who added.

Raph smirked. "You guys make the perfect geek match, don't you think?"

Who narrowed eyes in annoyance. "Just because we share the same knowledge on a certain subject doesn't makes us a perfect match."

Leo sighed. "Can you guys stop babbling and get your things packed already?"

"Uhh~ Leo can't handle seeing us teasing a certain someone," Mikey chuckled.

"Yes, you're right, Mikey. I can't handle seeing how you guys tease poor_Donnie."_ With that said, Leo hugged the genius protectively.

Don was a bit taken aback, but a second later he got the idea and played along.

"Yeah! You mean brothers, why're you so evil?!" he cried, faking a sob and pouting while the eldest tried not to laugh.

"Aww, wittle Donnie needs Mommy Weo?" Raph said between laughs.

"Well, at least _I_have Mommy Leo on_my_ side," Don replied, sticking his tongue out.

Splinter cleared his throat, getting the turtles' attention immediately. "Boys, I believe you should leave this conversation for later."

"Agreed, like maybe once we're back in New York!" Who said, now a little exasperated. "Now come along! We have no time to lose!"

The dark haired girl picked up her bags and teddy bear and made her way to the helicopter; the others knew they didn't have any choice but say goodbye to this paradise and return to the good ol', noisy New York. Unknown to Who, the Hamatos had already been planning their departure a few days ago, but they didn't imagine it would be_this_crazy and fast_._

The packing process was swift, pretty organized and very quiet; there was no time for chatting now. Not till they were all together in the copter. Once they were done, the guys joined Who and after taking a last glance of the beach, they got inside the copter just before Don started the engines.

"Goodbye, Hawaii. I'll miss you," Mikey said after a long sigh.

Raph snorted. "Don't be such a drama queen, knucklehead."

"You're just grumpy you didn't have the chance to beat me and my surfboarding skills," the youngest replied. Raph rolled his eyes in annoyance and continued to check the photos.

"So, Don, when exactly will we get to New York?" Leo asked as he entered the pilot cabin.

"Well, we have 10 hours of flight ahead," Don informed. "We should be home around 1 am more or less. The copter is in good shape so I don't think we'll need any emergency stops."

Leo nodded. "Keep us informed and if you need to take a break, just call one of us."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Leo."

As he returned with the others to the passengers' cabin, Leo took a glance at the island through the copter's window. Like his brothers, he'd miss the place and the relative freedom it offered, but he knew their real home was New York and he wouldn't change that for anything.

…

* * *

Just as Donatello had calculated, the team landed in New York at 1:30 am. They were exhausted and hungry, so once they arrived to the lair, Mikey ran to the kitchen and heated up some pizzas while Who made some cold lemonades. Then, after a well deserved dinner and bath, everyone went to their respective bedrooms to sleep till the next day; even Don, who had wanted to spend a little more time with his computer, had to turn in early due to the jet lag.

Around 3 am, Leonardo was awaken by the sound of the tea kettle whistling and the smell of chamomile coming from the kitchen. Whoever was awake at this hour either had to be really crazy or to have suffered from a disturbing nightmare to be wandering around the lair and making tea so late at night. Reluctantly, the blue-clad ninja left his room, but before going downstairs, he checked his brothers' rooms just to see which one of them was out of bed.

First room to visit was Mikey's.

Leo opened the door as silently as he could and peeked inside, his baby brother was mumbling something about winning a hot dog eating contest against a giant banana; not exactly a nightmare but it was still rather… disturbing.

Next: Raph's room. The door was opened, which was rare but the loud snores coming from inside was proof enough that the sai wielder slept like a brick.

The last room to check was Don's; his door was closed but not locked so Leo tried to not make a noise. The purple-clad ninja was snoring softly and hugging a talking Tardis plush Leo had bought him when he discovered the genius' sudden interest in the Dr. Who show.

Closing the door, Leo came to conclusion that if none of his brothers were out of bed then, certain dark haired girl was… or it could be his sensei trying to have some late night cake, despite the warnings Donatello gave him about his cholesterol and blood pressure. Now feeling more awake than a few minutes ago, Leonardo made his way downstairs. He had to stop himself from going to his sensei's room when he noticed the shoji door was closed and a soft light- probably from a lit candle- came from the room.

The sound of a long sigh and incomprehensible mumbled phrases caught the blue-clad ninja's attention; it came from the kitchen, so that would be Leo's next and hopefully last stop. As he approached, the leader could hear his dark haired friend saying encouraging and kind of soothing words to herself.

Had she had a nightmare? Was she feeling sick?

"… _you shouldn't be nervous; it's not like you've never done this, for God's sake…!"_ That was what Leo could hear as he got closer and closer to the room.

He saw the girl sighing and pouring more hot and steamy tea into her mug; she ran her fingers through her long dark hair and sighed again. Something was definitely not right here, Leo thought, and he was determined to find out _what_.

"Can't sleep?" Leo asked; his sudden appearance startling the girl.

"I could ask you the same thing," Who replied.

"Yes, but I'm not the one with a problem."

The girl arched a brow. "What makes you think I have a problem?"

"You woke up at 3 am, made yourself tea, and now you're talking to yourself," Leo answered.

"So what! Many people like having conversations with themselves," Who said with a shrug.

The blue-clad ninja took a seat at the other side of the table. "You're nervous."

The girl glared at him. "That's a stupid question."

"It wasn't a question, Who-chan. It was a statement," Leo said. Who decided to ignore the ninja's presence and took a sip of her tea.

Leo sighed. "Look, I just want to-"

"- yeah, yeah! You want to help~ Boohoo," Who interrupted him abruptly. "Do you always have to know what's going on?"

With that said the girl stood up and walked towards the exit but stopped as soon as she reached the door frame. She sighed loudly and turned around, walking slowly back into the kitchen.

"Sorry, Leo. I'm… I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Jet lag?"

"Yeah… no… maybe; I'm not sure anymore," Who said in a monotone voice as she returned to her seat.

The thick silence in the room was only interrupted by the sound of the girl's subtle slurps while drinking the hot tea. Last time Leonardo and Who had a talk was in Hawaii and it didn't end up quite well, so the ninja settled down for remaining in silence until the girl was ready to speak again; it was less troublesome than trying to get some words from her _"forcefully"_anyway.

"So, would you like some tea?" Who offered, breaking the silence. "It's not green tea, just chamomile, but I could make you some green tea if you'd like."

"I'm fine, don't worry. We should go to the living room; it's a better place for a late night talk," Leo suggested.

"A piece of advice from personal experience?" Who asked, smiling.

The ninja shrugged. "Sort of."

The girl grabbed her mug and made her way to the old couch in the living room. Klunk was already there, sleeping on the coffee table Donatello had gotten from April's antique shop; when the feline felt Who's presence he woke up and meowed, wanting to be pet. The dark haired girl placed her mug on the coffee table and picked up the cat, letting him rest on her lap as she stroked the orange fluffy fur. Shel was rewarded with Klunk's purr of happiness.

Leonardo joined them a few minutes later after making sure everything in the kitchen was in order. "Now, you ready to tell me what's wrong?"

"I told you: I'm not sure."

Who stopped petting the cat in order to pick her mug and finish her tea. Klunk, on the other hand, made his way towards Leo, rubbing his head on the back of the turtle's hand and encouraging him to pet him. The blue-clad ninja complied to the silent request, put Klunk on his lap and scratched the cat's head and behind his ears.

"Is it because of the auditions tomorrow?" Leo asked.

Who's mouth opened, then closed. She cursed herself mentally for being so obvious but then again, this was Leonardo she was talking to; no one could hide their fears and emotions from the Fearless Leader, no matter how hard you tried to do so.

"I'm not supposed to be nervous," she began. "I mean, I'm a musician! I've performed live in front of thousands of people before. So what I don't understand is why I'm so terrified of a simple audition!" Who concluded, taking a long sip of tea.

"Well, from what I've heard from Donnie… it's always been your dream to be part of The Phantom's production," the ninja said.

"It's more like a personal goal," Who corrected.

"Either way, you shouldn't be afraid. You've got this in the bag already!" the ninja said with a smile.

The girl shook her head. "But what if I forget the lyrics or what if sing out of tune?! I would never be able to forgive myself if I don't pass that audition."

"Who, you're a great singer. Of course you'll pass the audition!" Leo said encouragingly. "You just need to trust in yourself and give your best on the stage just like you did in that competition a few months ago, remember? You put your heart and soul that night; you gave yourself to your music and that made you win"

The girl's dark eyes met the turtle's brown ones. "You really think I can do this?"

Leo nodded; the cat on his lap jumped towards the girl and meowed. "See? Even Klunk says you can!"

Who chuckled and petted the cat. "I only wish my father could see me."

Leo's expression turned serious. "Still thinking about him?"

The dark haired girl threw her head back, letting it rest in the couch's backrest, and stared at the ceiling. "Ever since we had that talk back in Hawaii."

"Well, you can always… you know… call him, maybe?"

The girl stiffened. "No. I already told you I want things to stay the way they are."

"What if he was here?"

Who lifted her head and stared into Leo's eyes questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"If you could see him again, if he was here in New York… would you try talking to him?" the ninja asked.

"Well, if somehow my dad came to see me… _which is never gonna happen_… it would be very rude of me not to share a few words with him, so I guess I would," Who responded. "Why?"

"Just asking," Leo shrugged and stood up. "You should better go back to bed; you have a very busy day tomorrow."

Who followed his example and left the couch as well. "Hey Leo, I know I shouldn't be asking this but… tomorrow…?"

Leo smiled knowingly. "No need to ask. I'll go with you."

The girl looked at him in shock; she definitely didn't expect such an immediate answer. "Really? Because you… you don't have to if you don't want! I mean, there's gonna be lots of people there and-"

"-I'll be fine, Who. Stop worrying about me," Leo chuckled and made his way upstairs. "Sleep well, One-chan."

"You too."

The dark haired girl picked up Klunk and, after placing the mug in the sink, went to her bedroom. She let Klunk rest on a special pillow she had bought for the orange kitty before slumping in her bed. Yawning loudly, Who turned off the lights, hugged her teddy, and surrendered to sleep.

"_Perhaps Leo's right. I'm stressing out too much over this,"_ she thought. _"I mean, what's the worst that could happen tomorrow?"_


	6. Chapter 6

One thing a teenage mutant ninja turtle can expect after years and years of training is that his internal clock will always tell him to rise and shine pretty early.

Raphael could absolutely relate to that.

Even after having so little sleep last night -4 hours approximately- the red clad ninja had to abandon his bed and prepare himself for a brand new day. He knew this was the family's routine, so he couldn't really complain about this… but right now Raph wished he was back in Hawaii where there was no routine, where he could sleep for all the time he wanted and his father wouldn't say a thing. Sadly, he was back in New York, back to training, and back to their regular, ninja life.

And back to cooking breakfast since the calendar marked today as Raph's day in charge of the kitchen.

Tying his mask in a perfect knot, the sai wielder left his room and made his way to the kitchen. To his surprise, the world downstairs was showing signs of life already; Splinter was enjoying his morning tea and muffins while watching the news, Leonardo was drinking tea and reading the newspaper and Who had just came out of the shower with a towel around her head.

"Wow, you up this early? You guys are odd," Raph teased while grabbing his red and black striped apron.

"Says who, Mr._ Kiss the Chef,_" Who teased back as she sat by the table after picking an apple.

"Well, at least _I_ can cook… Miss_ I burn everything but water._"

Leo cleared his throat loudly, preventing a possible argument between his impulsive brother and his dark haired friend. "Hey, _Chef Raph_? Breakfast is not going to cook itself, you know?"

"It does when it's _your_ turn in the kitchen," the sai wielder replied with a chuckle. Leo rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the newspaper.

A few seconds later, a very drowsy Donatello joined the turtles and the girl in the kitchen. "Morning guys."

"Morning Don," the three said in unison.

"Where's Mikey?" Leo asked, noticing the youngest was nowhere in sight.

"He's still sleeping, and I think he's planning on doing that for the rest of the day," Don answered. "You guys going somewhere?"

"Yup, the auditions for the Phantom are today and I'm planning on getting there early," Who said with a bright smile.

Don's face lightened up after hearing this, all drowsiness immediately disappearing. "Do you mind if I go with you, guys? I _really_ want to see the Radio Music Hall on the inside."

The girl shrugged. "Sure, no problem."

"Mind if I tag in too? I don't wanna stay here with the lil twerp all morning," Raph said.

"Aww, he's your baby brother! Don't be mean," Who replied.

"Can I go or not?" The red-clad ninja asked again, a little less patiently and more demanding.

Who sighed. "Of course you can but Leo and I are leaving soon so right after breakfast, pick some cleans clothes and-"

"-yes, Mommy Who~" Raph interrupted her with a very childlike voice.

Don and Leo chuckled and fist-bumped under the table after Who gave them murderous glares for making fun of her. However, the girl _did_ notice she had just mothered the guys; without any good comebacks for this one, Who remained silent.

The final score? Raph: 2, Who: 1.

For now.

…

* * *

Once breakfast was over and after asking permission from Splinter and getting his approval, the guys went to their rooms to get ready. Raphael was the first one done getting dressed; he didn't complicate his life by taking a hell of a lot of time picking shirts and pants and stuff. Whatever smelled clean was perfect in Raph's little world, so he settled down for a pair of dark jeans, black sneakers, a white shirt, a dark green hoodie, red glasses and a thick red scarf to hide part of his face.

Who's head stuck out of her room, the towel no longer on her head allowing the long and slightly wet hair to dangle free. "Raph…can you come here for a sec? I need your opinion on something."

Raphael groaned and dragged his feet towards the girl's room. "Now what?"

The sight before his eyes was chaotic: on the girl's bed there were a bunch of dresses, pants, skirts, leggings, shirts and accessories of all kinds. The ninja's cheeks went red when he noticed in the pile of clothes there were a couple of bras and panties that matched. Almost immediately, Raph turned around and made his way outside; he hadn't even crossed the door frame when he felt a hand grab the hoodie, pulling him inside the room again.

"Ok, be honest and tell me what do you think of this dress," Who said, showing him a red vintage dress with ruffled skirt, beaded lace top and ruffled halter.

"Wait… are you serious?!" Raph exclaimed. "_This_ is why you-"

"Damn, I knew you would say it looked like crap!" Who sighed in disappointment discarding the dress in the pile of clothes. "Now how about this blue one!"

"Kid, I'm warning you! Shut-"

"Nah, too simple. You're right" The girl huffed tossing the dress aside and picking a new one: a yellow and black polka dot cocktail dress. "Huh, I didn't know I still had this one"

"Hold it right there!" Raph yelled, startling the girl.

"Hey, there's no need to yell! If you want to say something, just do it!"

Raph pinched his eyebrow ridge as he took a deep breath. "First of all: why are you asking _me_ about this? You could've asked Don, Mikey or Leo."

"Although Donnie was my first option, I only trust him when it comes to geek stuff," Who said, trying out the yellow dress. "Mikey is sleeping so I can't bother him, and Leo is…Leo."

Raph arched a brow. "Leo is…_Leo_?"

"Look, I'm not trying out clothes with Leo here, ok? End of story," the girl replied exasperatedly.

"Yet you do it front of me…" Raph replied back, folding his arms against his chest "…Now how's that logical?"

Who sighed. "You've helped April pick her outfit before when she lived here, so I thought you could help_ me,_ but if you're not going to-"

"-What's a guy gotta do to get some decent sleep around here?!"

Raph and the dark haired girl turned their attention to a very cranky Michelangelo who leaned in the door frame, rubbing his eyes with a deep frown on his face. Once he stopped, Mikey looked at Who from head to toe.

"You're not wearing _that_, are you?" he asked with a long yawn. "Because that looks awful"

Who frowned. "Excuse me?"

"Try the white strapless dress and use a black ribbon as belt; the longest ribbon, not the short one. Let your hair down and -_for the love of pizza-_ put some color on your_ cheeks_! You're as pale as a_ghost_, girl! What do you think you are: a _geisha_?!"

Both ninja and girl gawked at the youngest turtle and followed him with their eyes as he made his way back to his bedroom.

"Oh, and if I were you… I'd burn that stupid yellow dress" Mikey said in a serious tone. "Seriously, just get rid of it! Now, shut up –_all of you_- and let me _sleep_!"

With this, the nunchack wielder disappeared inside his "sanctuary" and slammed the door shut.

"Did Mikey just… where did he learn all that stuff?" Raph asked in puzzlement.

"Honestly, I don't care. I needed fashion advice and I got it. Thanks anyway, Raph." Who smiled, patting the turtle's shell. "Now, get the hell out of my room."

She pushed Raphael outside before closing and locking the door. The red-clad turtle stumbled because of the sudden move and almost tripped on his shoes' laces. Staring at the now closed door, Raph sighed deeply.

"Women. They're all the same!" he muttered.

"_I heard that!"_ came Who's voice from inside the room.

The sai wielder rolled his eyes and went downstairs where his brothers waited; he needed desperately to interact with another male after experiencing the _horrors_ of the dark haired girl's room. Meanwhile, in the living room, Leonardo and Donatello were immersed in a deep conversation of which Raphael could hear just a small part.

"_So, Don… you think it can be done?" _Leo asked.

"_Maybe, but it will take time," _Don answered. _"I'll let you know once I find the info you need."_

"_That's all I needed to hear. Thanks."_

Raphael thought it was probably another philosophical chit chat between the geek and boring leader so, he didn't really care about asking.

"You ready?" Leo asked.

"As Mikey would say: I was born ready," Raph smirked.

"Well, I guess now we wait for Who," Don said, stretching his arms.

"Witch girl better hurry up or she's gonna be late."

"Raph, don't call her that."

"Aww~ Lookit him, Donnie. Always defending his lady's honor. Ain't he cute?" Raph teased his eldest brother and poked his ribs.

"Cut it out!" Leo replied angrily. "What are you, 4?"

"If you guys are done arguing, let's move!" a voice came from the lair's entrance.

There was Who, dressing just like Mikey suggested with a white rose hair clip at the left side of her head; pearl earrings, black closed-toed, ankle-strap platform heels and a silver treble clef pendant. Donatello didn't hesitate to show his admiration with praising comments and even Raph approved the girl's outfit. When Leo didn't say a word but instead continued staring at the girl, his mouth slightly opened, Raphael grinned to himself; ghosting a hand under the leader's chin, he curled his fingers into a fist and hit making Leo bite his tongue.

"OW! WHAT THE HELL, RAPH!" Leo glared at his red-clad brother who laughed his shell out.

"What! It ain't my fault you started daydreaming, Fearless."

"Time is gold, gentlemen! MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!" Who yelled from outside the lair.

"Gee, relax! This ain't the army!" Raph replied, following the girl together with Don and Leo.

…

* * *

_**7:10 am – Radio Music Hall**_

…

"Wow, this place is awesome!" Don exclaimed, looking at his surroundings excitedly like a kid in a toy store.

"Ditto; it's bigger that I thought it would be," Leo seconded.

Raph shrugged and yawned. "Meh, I've seen better."

Who narrowed eyes. "Always the charming one, ain't you Raph?"

"_There she is!" a_ female voice came from the end of the corridor. Who turned around to see her friends waving at her enthusiastically.

"You should go there and say hi," Leo suggested.

"But, what about you guys?"

"We ain't kids, Who. Just go!" Raph said. "Besides, someone has to keep an eye on Don before he breaks something."

"Hey, I'm not Mikey!" Don said, feeling a little offended.

Who laughed. "Well, Mommy Leo… they're all yours now!"

"Shut up," the blue-clad ninja groaned, ruffling the girl's hair.

"Hey! It took me a lifetime to get my hair done!" Who growled. Leo stuck his tongue out playfully before joining his brothers, leaving the girl alone.

Who shook her head and chuckled all the way until she met with her team. "Sup guys."

"WHOEY!" Ted was the first one to welcome her with a bear hug. "Good to see ya, girl! How ya doin'?"

"Teddy, my huggle bear! I missed you!"

Then it was Fiona's turn to be hugged. "We're so glad you're back, sweetie."

Who smiled. "Glad to be here too."

"Hey, don't forget about me!" a turquoise eyed boy said, his arms wide open.

"How could I ever forget you, Deuce!" The dark haired girl grinned and hugged her friend.

"_Välkomna hem, _Whoey," the Swedish girl said after hugging her friend.

"I… still don't understand a thing of what you're saying, Helga," Who chuckled. "But it's good to hear your voice again."

"When did you arrive?" Deuce asked.

"Last night; long and boring flight."

Laughter was heard in the background and it caught Fiona's attention. Not many times did she get to see those fully clothed guys that accompanied Who almost all the time, and it brought out the next question.

"Are those friends of yours?" she asked. Who knew Rossi was talking about the disguised turtles.

"Yeah, they are… pretty reserved, but very nice once you get to meet them."

"They came for the auditions too?" Ted asked.

"Not really."

"Moral support, then," Helga concluded.

"Kinda," Who said, tilting her head to the side. "Speaking of auditions, any results yet?"

"Well, our Deucey-Deuce here has been chosen as _Raoul_!" Ted announced with a smile and patting his friend's back.

"Oh God! Congrats Deuce! How about you girls?" Who asked.

"I was chosen _Madame Giry" _Helga said. "Will have to work on my accent, but that's easy."

"Sounds good. How about you, Fiona?"

"She already tried out for _Christine, _but we'll get those results later. There are lots of girls going after that role," Deuce commented. "The main reason is because Dubois will be _The Phantom._"

"Wait a sec, in the text you told me he was just going to direct the orchestra and help with theatricality," Who replied, her smile disappearing to be replaced by a frown.

"None of the tenors pleased the jury, but Dubois said they were too strict with boys," Helga said in a marked Swedish accent. "He helped them and sang a little"

"Ends up Dubois' voice was perfect for the role," Deuce added.

"Long story short: he's the new Phantom and now all the girls want to be _Christine _because of Monsieur 'I'm so _perfect_, _handsome_ and smell like French _cheese_'~" Ted ended with a mocking French accent.

"Judges are just a bunch of assholes who make choices for their own convenience," Who commented sharply. "I would like to see them in front of me right here, right now and give them a piece of my mind!"

"C'mon Whoey, don't be like that" Fiona intervened. "Besides, Dubois has been _The Phantom_ before so… he has experience and-"

"-Who cares about experience?!" Who replied angrily. "All the guys here have_ talent; that's _what matters. And choosing someone who's more experienced than them is not fair!"

"I know, but-"

"-You're just defending him cuz you have the hots for Dubois too, Miss Rossi~" Ted teased.

"Ted, may I remind you Deuce and I have been together for like 6 months now? Sure Dubois is good looking but my Deuce is the only one for me," Fiona ended wrapping her arms affectionately around her boyfriend's body.

"Yeah, you better say that," Deuce chuckled, kissing the top of his girlfriend's head.

Fiona glared at him playfully. "Oh shush, you silly head!"

"Speaking of silly heads, guess who else tried out for _Christine,_" Ted said out of the blue.

The team rolled their eyes as they said in unison: "_Frida Higgins!_"

"Bingo! And from what I've heard… she went for the _kill_!" Ted continued.

"Ted… as far as I know: she _always_ goes for the kill and ends up _getting _killed!" Who's comment made everyone laugh.

"Hey Whoey… what role you're trying out for?" Fiona asked.

"If I say _Christine_, you guys are gonna tease me so… I'll just sing whatever comes to my mind and let the judges decide."

"_Guys, recess is over! Back to the audition room," o_ne of the judges yelled.

"We'll see you there, Whoey," Ted said giving a last hug to his friend. "Good luck!"

As the team went to the audition room, Leonardo approached the dark haired girl. "Something interesting happened while you were gone?"

"It's only that all the girls are crushing on some French guy who's gonna be _The Phantom_. Even Fiona… and she has a boyfriend!" Who said chuckling. "Seriously, I don't understand women sometimes."

"Uh, you… are a woman too, Whoey" Don pointed out.

"I know, and I don't understand myself either," the girl said with a shrug. Don was about to reply when a red haired girl appeared behind Who.

"So, it is true… '_Nightingale'_ is back from vacations."

Who's hands turned into fists but relaxed as she turned around to smile at her rival. "Nice to see you too, Frida. Did you get more evil while I wasn't here or is it just me?"

"How cute," Frida said narrowing eyes. "I'm guessing you're here for the auditions too."

"You guessed right."

"Well, I just got incredible critiques from the judges. It wouldn't surprise me they chose_ me _as_Christine_. But I guess I should wish you… _'good luck'_… anyways," Higgins said, and with a laugh worthy of a villain, she made her way to the audition room.

"You ok, Who?" Don asked shyly.

Who nodded. "I'm gonna make that bitch eat her words."

With firm and decided steps, Who followed the crowd and disappeared inside the audition room, leaving the turtles dumbstruck.

"She's got that look," Leo commented.

"Should we talk some sense into her?" the genius suggested.

"Too late for that, Don," Raph replied. "C'mon, we better make sure she stays out of trouble."

Leo sighed. "And here I thought Mikey was troublesome enough."


	7. Chapter 7

Just as Who went through the door, she could hear a soprano singing on stage who was just about finish her song. The place was crowded; both orchestra and choir members sat in complete silence, listening to the girl sing. In the front line, there were the judges, some of whom she could recognize: Mrs. Harris, the vocal coach; Mr. Evans, the director; Ms. Luciana Gomez, a very prestigious soprano and Mr. Stefano Pagliari, a tenor who had been both Raoul and The Phantom back in the day. The dark haired girl was curious about the other members of the jury she had never seen before, but she felt even more curious about the fat man in fancy clothes with an arrogant expression on his face.

Who took a seat and waited for her turn. She caught a glance of one of her friends waving at her and giving her a thumbs up in encouragement. She also saw Leo, Raph and Don sitting where there were not many people; even though they had their camouflage on, they felt much better if they avoided unwanted human contact.

Applause filled the room. The girl on stage bowed and smiled at the judges before making her way back to the seats.

"Alright, thank you Gia. You did very well," Gomez said with a kind smile that was very characteristic of her.

"Next one, please," Pagliari called in a deep voice that sounded almost intimidating, but it was just how his voice turned out to be after years and years of singing.

"Well… this is it," Who said to herself and made her way towards the stage.

"Hmm, another _Christine_ apparently," Harris said after reading her notes; the corner of her lips curling down.

"Oh really? That's new!" Evans giggled like a kid, making Luciana chuckle.

"This has to be a joke!" Frederick growled. "We've heard 49 _Christines_! We have to stop this!"

"Mr. Higgins, that is not how things are done," Harris interfered.

"He's got a point, though," Pagliari replied. "Almost all the girls have tried out for that role."

The judges looked at each other, trying to find answers to this dilemma but they were interrupted by a young feminine voice coming from the stage.

"Good morning. I'm Whoey and I'll be-"

"Dear, before you begin…" Luciana interrupted subtly. "…we, uh… how to say this?"

"We've had enough of _Christine_ already, understood?" Higgins said arrogantly. The other judges glared at him but Higgins didn't change his pretentious façade.

The girl stood there, petrified, her mouth opened in shock, lower lip quivering, eyes shining and her skin paler than usual. Everyone in the room whispered their disapproval; this was just not fair. If Higgins thought he could make the last decision here because of his money and status, he was so wrong. The only one happy with the man's decision was Frida for obvious reasons. She smirked evilly and contained her laugh.

"But… but I just came here…" Who said more to herself than to the rest of the people.

The judges discussed heatedly and so did the rest of the audience. Soon, the whole place turned into a debate room with loud shouting and blabbering and mild cursing.

The dark haired girl sighed loudly. '_So much for making Frida eat her words,' _she thought as she turned around to make her leave.

Then, right after she turned around, she froze. She didn't know who or what had made her- had _ordered_ to stop, but she did. She felt like she had to.

"You can't do this!" Who yelled, her eyes shining not with tears but with determination and her voice an octave lower making her sound fierce, decided, invincible… and a bit evil.

The whole room went silent; the eyes turned to the white dressed girl who glared at one person in particular: Frederick Higgins.

Higgins got up his seat in a defiant way. "Can and will, _Who._"

"That's _Miss_ Who to you, _fatso!_"

"You insolent brat!" Higgins hissed. He was about to go on stage but Evans stopped him, grabbing his arm tightly and pulling him back to his seat.

"Relax, Higgins, old man!" Evans grinned. "Remember your blood pressure."

"So~ You're a Higgins! It's no wonder where Frida got her charming attitude…" Who smirked. "…her rotten father."

The whole crowd gasped; some of them laughed and some of them cheered for Who in a silent way. Frida gritted her teeth in anger, clawing her nails into the arm rests.

"I want that little witch out of this place!" Higgins growled, giving murderous looks to the judges and Who.

The girl laughed darkly. "No can do, Mr. Higgins. You like it or not, I came here to try out for _Christine_ andno one will stop me… _especially _you!"

People were going crazy in their seats, whistling and cheering. Mrs. Harris gave the order and everyone calmed down immediately; her word was law, her looks could kill, and they had to obey one way or another.

She cleared her throat and took off her glasses. "Who, if you don't calm down, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave this place."

"You won't make me," Who replied, her firm posture never changing.

"Excuse me?" Harris asked arching her brow.

"You heard me!" the girl said angrily. "First you chose some pompous, pretentious French guy over the best tenors this choir has to offer and now you want to throw me away? How's that fair?!"

Harris had had enough; Who was not calming down and things were going to get worse. Worse to the point that Higgins would decide to cancel the play and stop sponsoring, and they couldn't take that risk. Stefano noticed the look on Harris' face; he couldn't believe Lucile was going to follow Higgins' little hate game. Sure, this…_Who_… had been a little harsh but she had spoken her mind and _that_ was admirable.

"Let her sing," a new voice said. It came from the seat behind Evans. "I want to listen to her."

Who turned her attention to this new character- a mysterious guy dressed in all black, a black and white hoodie covering his face.

Frederick walked towards the dark dressed man and spoke to him in a low threatening-like voice. "_I_ am the one paying for this whole thing and I say: I _don't _want her here."

Evans stood between Higgins and the dark dressed man and put his hands on sideways, adopting a super-hero pose. "You may be the one with the money,Higgins… but me and my comrade musicians are the ones with musical abilities and _we_ will decide who stays and who _leaves._"

Higgins narrowed his eyes at Evans and retired back to his seat with a growl.

"Deuce Gordon?" Evans called.

The turquoise eyed guy raised his hand. "HERE!"

"Please, we need you here to sing Raoul's part"

"On it." With that said, Deuce ran back to the scenario while Evans sat beside the other judges.

Who let out a sigh of relief. _'I wasn't expecting a duo for my audition… but I guess it's better than nothing,'_ she thought.

Deuce took his position and smiled. "You ready?"

"Like always," Who winked.

Deuce winked back. "Teach them who's boss"

"Alright, doll! Show us what you got!" Evans shouted and the music began.

Who closed her eyes, letting emotions involve her completely while she lost herself in the music.

"_Think of me,_

_Think of me fondly when we've said goodbye_

_Remember me_

_Once in a while; please promise me you'll try._

_Then you'll find that once again you long_

_To take your heart back and be free_

_If you'll ever find a moment_

_Spare a thought for me…" _She sang sweetly, her eyes reflecting a dreamy gaze.

Meanwhile, boys and girls were all delighted, looking at the young soprano on stage; none of them making a sound.

And then, the violins made their majestic appearance. From that moment, everything in Who's mind changed: she was no longer in front of friends but in front of a elegant crowd; women with beautiful dresses and jewels, men wearing their finest tuxedos. Her mind created the perfect scenario; her face glowed and when she slowly opened her eyes, her eyes had a bright sparkle… she had now reached the peak of her inspiration levels.

Who began to pace slowly as she continued. _"We never said our love was evergreen_

_Or as unchanging as the sea,_

_But if you can still remember_

_Stop and think of me._

_Think of all the things we've shared and seen_

_Don't think about the way things might have been…"_

The choir and orchestra members couldn't take their eyes of the dark haired girl, let alone not listen to her. On the other hand, both Higgins –father and daughter- tried to ignore the angelic voice but failed.

They couldn't hide the sun with a finger: that girl was amazing.

The judges were all making their own commentaries, most of them positive. But while they all focused on the technical part, one of the judges was paying attention to something else. The softness and purity of that voice was hypnotizing, enchanting, _bewitching…_ intriguing.

Cécil stared at her like a deer would stare headlights, the thoughts in his mind racing a mile per hour.

'*****_C'est la même aura, l'esprit, les yeux et les cheveux… Est-ce elle qui nous attendent depuis?'_

Dubois pulled out a pocket-watch and pressed a button; he stared at its content before quickly closing it. He then turned his attention to Who.

_"Think of me,_

_Think of me waking silent and resigned,_

_Imagine me_

_Trying too hard to put you from my mind._

_Recall those days; look back on all those times;_

_Think of those things we'll never do._

_There will never be a day_

_When I won't think of you~"_

Who held the Eb flat note at the end of that line as long as she could, her voice never quivering or going off tune; not even the whole orchestra overshadowed her. While the crowd applauded and cheered, three astonished ninjas couldn't believe what they were listening to.

"I've heard her sing before… but nothing compared to this!" Don exclaimed.

"Are we sure that's _our_ Who singing over there?" Raph asked, dumfounded.

Leo chuckled. "If you went to her rehearsals more often you wouldn't be so surprised."

"Oh yeah? Care to explain me why you're _not _surprised?" the sai wielder asked, narrowing his eyes.

"That look she has right now? She only has it when she's in her little world… imagining a million things," Leo explained. "She forgets about reality and drifts away, letting the music do its job. That's why she's so confident."

By the time the guys stopped talking, Deuce had already began to sing his part.

"Long ago, it seems so long ago

_How young and innocent we were._

_She may not remember me_

_But I remember her"_

It might have been just a few lines but still, the young tenor showed great vocal technique and good breath management. The judges had clearly made an excellent decision by choosing him as Raoul.

Who continued. _"Flowers fade; the fruits of summer fade_

_They have their seasons, so do we._

_But please promise me that sometimes_

_You will think…"_

This was the moment of truth for Who; this particular fragment of the song would need all her focusing and skills. The reason? A powerful cadenza at the end of the song; this would determine Who's results: would she be _Christine_ or not?

She was about to find that out.

She began singing softly as her confidence grew stronger note by note; the public leaned forward on their seats simultaneously as the ending approached.

And then a flawless, long and powerful B flat, worthy of a world famous soprano, struck with the force of a mighty thunder, completing the interpretation with a perfect Eb flat at the end. _ "…OF ME!"_

Orchestra and soprano ended at the same time and by then everyone was in clapping frenzy. Who opened her eyes at the sound of the cheering and screaming, going back to reality in less than a blink; she smiled shyly and chuckled nervously before bowing elegantly a couple of times.

From the front line, the judges had stood up and applauded loudly. All but one. Evans noticed Higgins' scowl and grinned. "Guess who just shut your big mouth, old man."

Frederick glared at Crazy Danny before storming out of the place, followed by a very shocked Frida, who hadn't stopped gawking at her rival's performance.

"Thank you all for coming," Lucile interrupted the cheering crowd. "Tomorrow, we will show the results of the audition. You may leave now."

"That was totally awesome!" Fiona exclaimed, hugging her friend tightly once she left the scenario.

"Knew you could do it," Helga added. "_Bra gjort!"_

"Hey Whoey, how about we celebrate in Helga's house this afternoon and play some Dance Central?" Ted asked.

"Sure, see you there!"

The group left and Who waved them "goodbye"; she was still receiving lots of positive comments and compliments from her comrades when she felt herself being lifted by a pair of strong hands.

"Well done, my girl! I knew you wouldn't disappoint me!" It was Danny Evans who couldn't contain his happiness.

"Mr. Evans, careful with your spine!" Who giggled as they spun around before Danny put her back to ground.

"You left them speechless! And the way you defied them… oh boy! You risked everything up there."

Who chuckled. "I am not sure what came over me that moment but it felt really good!"

"I bet it did," Evans winked. "Well, wish you luck and may the best Christine win!"

"Thanks, Mr. Evans! See you tomorrow!"

Evans waved as he left with the rest of the judges and orchestra members. Once the place was almost deserted, the turtles left their seats and ran to congratulate their friend.

"That was simple amazing!" Don began. "I… I don't think I know a proper word to describe what you did."

"It's called _singing,_ genius," Who teased.

"That voice of yours is a lethal weapon!" Raph continued "Damn, girl! I almost saw the glasses breaking."

The girl rolled her eyes. "It wasn't _that_ good"

"Don't be so modest, Whoey," Raph grinned and slightly punched her shoulder in a friendly way.

She looked at the red-clad turtle in surprise. "You've… never called me that before…" Then she smiled. "…so it must have been _really_ good!"

"You shouldn't have yelled at the judges, though," Leo commented. "They could have thrown you out."

"Gee, Leo. Let the girl enjoy her moment," Raph replied.

"I'm just saying," Leo replied back.

"Well, nobody cares!"

Who stopped Raph from starting a fight by standing in between both turtles. "Leo is right. I honestly don't know what happened up there but I can assure you, I didn't mean to yell… _that_ bad."

"Good news is you impressed them all and that's what matters," Don concluded, patting the girl's back; Who smiled and the tension eased up.

"So anyone up for some hot dogs?" the genius suggested.

"Count me in," Raph said before skillfully snatching the genius' wallet. "But you're paying."

"Raph! Give me my wallet!" Don yelled as he chased his hotheaded sibling.

Leo shook his head but then noticed Who was rubbing her arms and her face had paled. "Are you feeling ok?"

"I'm fine, really; I felt like there was… a breeze behind me," Who said now rubbing her hands against each other repeatedly. "Must be the dress, I knew it was too short."

The blue-clad turtle took off his trench coat and put it on the girl's shoulders. "Here, you'll be warmer with this."

Who looked at him worriedly but calmed down when she noticed Leo had more clothes underneath the trench coat. Always ready as usual.

Just as Leo and Who were leaving, they heard the sound of clapping coming from behind their backs.

"_Bravo, tout implement incroyable," t_he man in the black and white hoodie said. "You must be Who, am I right?"

The girl moved closer to her turtle friend and hesitantly answered. "Yeah… and you are?"

"_Le pompeux, prétentieux _French guy. But I prefer _'Cécil'._" With that said, the man revealed his face.

Who now comprehended why the other girls were crazy about Cécil; the guy was handsome. His eyes were slate-gray… so different, mysterious and gorgeous; his hair was so dark and that pony tail suited him perfectly. And his smile… She now was grateful of Splinter's lessons about self control because had she not listened to them, she would have reacted just like her female comrades.

Pulling herself together, she cleared her throat and tried not to let her emotions win. "So, you are the _infamous_ Dubois."

Cécil chuckled. "You are a very strong woman, I see. Never afraid to speak your mind."

"I was born that way," Who smirked. "C'mon Leo."

As they walked away from Dubois, she could hear his steps as he followed them very closely.

"I loved your performance," he continued. "I haven't heard such amazing voice since…"

When he stopped talking, Who walked back on her tracks. She cursed her curiosity, but after seeing the sadness reflected on Cécil's face, she knew she had to know what was he talking about.

"Since…?" she asked.

Cécil took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It is a long story and… this is not the proper place for a boring talk. Perhaps if you would like to accompany me for dinner, oh I don't know… tonight sound good?"

Who felt her disguised turtle friend's arm around her waist and how he pulled her closer to him in a protective way.

"Thanks for the offer but she has plans already," Leo said firmly.

Cécil stared intensely at the blue-clad ninja's eyes despite the latter's dark blue glasses. "So it seems."

He then smiled at the girl. "It will be another day, then. _Au revoir, ma chère._" After bowing in a very gallant way, Cécil left with no other words to say.

"Not that I didn't appreciate the rescue, but… exactly what kind of plans do I have?" Who asked with a teasing smirk after elbowing Leo's side.

The latter sighed. "A simple '_thanks'_ would have been nice."

"Alright, alright. Thanks, oh my hero! How can I repay you~" the girl said dramatically.

Leo laughed. "Enough with the sarcasm. Seriously, you're almost as bad as Raph."

"_I HEARD THAT!"_ Raphael's voice came from the end of the corridor.

"_RAPH, I'M SERIOUS! GIVE ME MY WALLET!" _Don yelled angrily while he chased his brother, trying to snatch his wallet back.

Leo shook his head. "Those two are gonna kill each other."

"Raph, stop it! Seriously, you're only embarrassing yourself!" Who shouted.

The turtley trio and Who departed and the Radio Music Hall was left empty at last… or so it seemed.

Dubois gave non-hurried steps towards the scenario before standing in the center of it. He closed his eyes, letting his mind take him again to the moment this white dressed angel appeared before his eyes.

This angel was perfect, there was no doubt!

Years of searching had finally paid off; he had found the solution to his problem, the medicine to heal his aching heart. His *****_bien-aimé… _taken from him so long ago.

And now he would do anything to not lose her again.

"_*****__Enfin, après toutes ces années. Vous allez vivre, mon amour!" _he said while smiling triumphantly at the small picture he hid in his pocket-watch.

Then, out of the blue, he laughed. Dubois' almost maniacal laughter echoed through the walls.

Behind him, a dark shadow manifested itself in the shape of a slim woman. The shadow came closer to Cécil and wrapped its ghostly arms around him while he laughed louder and louder.

"*****_Vous vivrez à nouveau, mon ange du music!"_

* * *

…

…

_Bra gjort!: _Well done!

_Bravo, tout simplement incroyable: _Congrats; it was simply incredible.

_Pompeux, prétentieux: _Pompous, pretentious_._

* * *

French and Swedish dialects have been both written using Google Translator and with dictionaries so they might not be 100% perfect.

_*****__I won't be translating some of Cécil's French dialogues yet. Trust me, you __**don't**__ want to know what's going on… __**for now**__**.**_

_**Be patient!**_

_**Read, review and enjoy!**_


	8. Chapter 8

That afternoon, the judges reunited at Evan's house to discuss the audition results. Even Frederick who at first was reluctant to go was present. They watched the videos of each participant and analyzed every aspect: from interpretation to vocal and breathing techniques; each one of them had a particular favorite, but in general, there was only one soprano who had captured their hearts.

After long hours of discussion, the judges decided to take a break and were now in Evan's luxurious living room having a friendly chatter. All but Higgins who had his nose stuck in his iPhone.

This was the scene Lucile came across once she'd come back from the kitchen after having a drink of water. "So, I'm guessing you have decided already?"

"Yep! I'll have some sushi and your best Chardonnay, please!" Danny teased, making his guests laugh.

Lucile sighed loudly. "For once in your life I would like you to behave a little more seriously, Evans."

"But Harris, where's the fun in that?" he said with a shrug.

Lucile facepalmed and slumped in the couch. "I give up. You're a lost cause."

"Aww~ Lost your sense of humor already, Lucile?" Pagliari smirked. The woman glared at him but didn't reply back.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen… after ours hour deliberation, I am most happy to know we have all agreed in our final decision," Danny said, raising his glass of wine. "Say hello to our new Christine!"

With that said, Evans placed the picture of participant #50 in the glass center coffee table. Everyone in the room rose up, clashed their glasses together and exchanged positive feedbacks. Curious of the commotion around him, Higgins' gaze landed on the coffee table; to his surprise, the photo of the winner was not his daughter's but of a certain girl he despised with all his being after being humiliated by her that morning.

Frederick slammed his fist on the table furiously. "I demand a recount of the votes!"

"Higgins, this is not a presidential election," Danny joked.

"Shut your trap, Evans!"

"What is the problem now, Frederick?" Harris interfered.

"You know what the problem is, Lucile!" Higgins growled, glaring at the woman.

"For goodness sake, Frederick. This is about Frida, isn't it? Drop it already!" Pagliari joined the discussion. "Your kid might be the light of your eyes, but she didn't make it!"

"Stefano is right; we have already decided who will take the role of Christine and nothing you say will change the results," Luciana seconded.

If looks could kill, Frederick might as well have just killed them all in that moment. He turned to Danny's direction and pointed at him. "This is all your doing, Evans. Oh, I know it is!"

Danny arched a brow. "Excuse me?"

"I saw you yesterday talking to that spoiled brat, don't you dare deny it!"

Evans hummed. "Funny, I don't recall talking to Frida after the auditions."

"ENOUGH WITH YOUR STUPID JOKES!" Higgins snapped, throwing his glass on the ground; tiny fragments of crystal dispersed all over the carpet altogether with the wine.

"You are all just protecting that singer wannabe! Admit it!"

"Frederick, auditions are to choose the best of the best and Frida did not pass. You must accept reality, Mr. Higgins," Luciana said as calmly as possible.

"Actually, her forced soprano voice altogether with her arrogance makes for a perfect Carlota," a voice said from the corner of the room. It was Cécil.

He rose his glass full of red wine and smiled. "You should be proud, _Monsieur_. Your daughter makes a fine villain."

Frederick growled deep in his throat. Picking up his coat, he rushed to the exit door. Before leaving, he turned around and gave a murderous glare to everyone in the room, particularly Evans.

"No daughter of mine will be second place. That, I can assure you."

Then he opened the door and slammed it shut once he left. Evans' guests murmured things about the incident but decided to not focus on it and to continue having a great time between comrades. However, Higgins' words were echoing in a certain tenor's mind who smiled to himself while drinking his wine very slowly.

…

…

* * *

_**23:15 pm**_

…

"Remind me again why Don ain't here?" Raph asked after knocking out a couple of goons with a roundhouse kick.

"Yeah! If we're gonna get our butts kicked, he oughta be taking his part too!" Mikey added, swirling his nunchakus skillfully and hitting a bulky guy's hand, making him drop his gun.

Now that he was unarmed, the youngest turtle threw a hard punch to the punk's face, sending him to the dumpsters.

"Night, night big guy~" Mikey giggled. "Now where were we? Oh, right… why the shell Donnie is not here?!"

"Guys, can we… leave… this conversation… for later?" Leo panted.

The leader blocked a kick with his arm but didn't manage to stop the incoming punch to his gut that left him kneeling to ground almost breathless. The red-clad turtle, then, noticed one of the punks was aiming his crowbar at Leo's head and jumped into action.

"Leo, look out!"

The blue-clad turtle turned around but it was only to see Raph as he tackled his aggressor and pinned him to the concrete floor.

Leo sighed in relief. "Whew! Good timing, Raph."

With his crowbar far away from his reach and both his partners in crime knocked out cold, the criminal now found himself at the mercy of Raphael's sais. The latter grinned evilly, twirled his weapon, moved the sharp prongs to the goon's face and stopped a mere inch from his eyeballs. The pinned and terrified punk fainted right after this.

Raph chuckled. "I just love when they pass out like that."

The three ninjas heard the familiar sound of police sirens; it was their cue to leave.

"Looks like the cavalry has arrived," Mikey said, stating the obvious.

"Then, let's bolt!" Leo ordered, jumping to the nearest fire-escape ladder.

Raph and Mikey followed him just before the officers found the beaten criminals in the dark alley with the stolen goods. Both brothers were a little disappointed they didn't get the action they wanted; this had been just a small robbery at a jewellery store and judging by their lack of fighting skills, they knew they were dealing with amateurs. Not much to get excited about.

Leo, on the other hand, was glad this was just a non-complicated mission; he wouldn't have been so eager to engage in battle a bunch of heavily armed Purple Dragons or skilled Foot Ninjas right now when they were one turtle down. Now that they had busted this robbery, Leonardo just wanted to go back to the lair as soon as possible before they got into more and bigger trouble.

"So Leo, ready to tell us what Donnie's up to this time?" Raph asked, leaning casually on a brick wall.

"Is he inventing new jetpacks?!" Mikey blurted out. "Cuz that would be wicked cool!"

Leonardo's shell-cell rang just as he was about to talk. "And speaking of the devil…" He grinned and pressed the button to answer. "Hey Don, what's up?"

The leader began to pace while nodding at whatever Donatello was telling him from the other line. "Uh-huh… uh-huh… Really? That fast? That's great!"

Mikey and Raph looked at each other, shrugged and then looked at their eldest brother.

"How did you… Wow, thanks Donnie! You are truly a genius." Leo smiled before sighing in relief.

The sai wielder then recalled what had happened that morning and that somehow secretive conversation they were having; right now he wished he had paid more attention to it. Whatever Leo and Don were planning was apparently none of the others' business, but still, it wasn't too Leo-like to keep secrets from the family.

"Dude, you don't think they're planning something fun and they're leaving us out of it… do you?" Mikey asked to his red-clad sibling.

"Fun, Leo and Don are never in the same sentence. Their definition of _'fun' _includes doing dorky, spiritual, annoying shit so… no, that's not it. Trust me," Raph answered.

"Sure, I'll be there in sec," Leo said before hanging up and making his way to the fire-escape ladder. "We have to get back to the lair."

"We ain't moving till you tell us what's with all the secrecy between you and brainiac," the sai wielder demanded. "You guys think we don't notice, but something fishy is going on and we deserve to know!"

"Wait, don't tell me!" Mikey shouted. "You guys are plotting revenge against us for of that time we played _Twister_ and I pushed Donnie into you while Raph tickled you so you lost your balance. Then you sprained your ankle and Donnie his wrist causing you guys to not be able to train or work in the lab for a week… right?"

Leo's eyes narrowed. "Although I'm still ticked off about your dishonourable tactics to achieve victory, that's not it. I just asked him to do me a little favor"

"And that favor is?" Both Raph and Mikey asked.

"I can't really tell. But trust me, it's nothing bad."

Just when Leo was about to reach the stairs, Raph's hand clasped on his shoulder.

"If it's nothing bad, then why the hell you won't tell us?!"

Leo sighed. He was very aware his brothers were pushy and wouldn't give it a rest if they didn't know. "It's… something for Who," he said sounding defeated.

Raph smirked. "Ohh~ I get it."

"Awww, our little Leo is manning up!" Mikey cooed.

"Wha-NO!" Leo raised his hands defensively. "Guys, it's not what you're thinking!"

"Mmmhmm, sure~" Raph and Mikey teased.

"You know what? You can think whatever you want, ok?" Leo swatted Raph's hand off his shoulder and reached for the stairs. "I can't believe you are so immature!"

In a matter of seconds, Leonardo was off the building and going into the nearest manhole he could find, leaving Raph and Mikey alone and confused.

Mikey scratched his head. "Uh, sensitive much?"

"Nah, he just doesn't wanna admit the truth" Raph said, chuckling. He went down the stairs with Mikey following him closely.

"Raph, teasing aside, what do you really think are Leo and Don up to?"

"No idea, but whatever it is, if witch girl doesn't like it, I ain't gonna do nothing to save their asses."

…

…

* * *

_**00:21 am**_

…

"I still can't believe you said all that stuff to Higgins," a very serious Fiona reprimanded Who.

"He deserves it," Helga replied. "That is what he gets for being big _dumme, gamle man._"

"Thanks Helga," Who said with a pleased smile. "See? She's on my side!"

"You didn't even understand what she said," Fiona argued.

"She said '_he deserved it'_ and that's enough for me."

Rossi decided to ignore the comment and changed subjects. Sort of. "Whoey, now that you know Cécil…what do you think about him?"

"He's way too confident about his looks" Who answered. "The guy tried to invite me to dinner and I barely know him!"

Helga rolled her eyes. "_Typisk man!_"

"But you wouldn't have accepted anyway; I know you, Whoey" Rossi commented.

"Obviously! I ain't the kind of girl who goes out with random guys."

Deuce and Ted slumped on the couch, sweating and panting after having danced their heads off for the last 3 hours.

"W_hew_, we're beat! Who's up for the next round?" Deuce asked.

"No thanks, I just had half a pizza and I think I'll hurl if dance right now," Fiona said, tossing her boyfriend a can of cold soda.

"How about you, babe?" Ted asked, leaving the couch to hug Helga from behind.

"Do not call me _babe_, Ted" the red-headed girl growled.

"How about Sweetheart? Or Honey bunny, Cup Cake… Snookums?"

Everyone blinked in confusion and looked at Ted. _"Snookums?"_

Helga sighed and pushed Ted away from her, making him bury his head in a bowl full of nachos and cheese. "I better not know what that means."

While the others laughed, Who had casually pulled out her cell phone. She gasped loudly when she looked at the time. "Oh gosh, I gotta go! Sensei's gonna kill me!"

"Sensei?" Helga asked.

"He's kinda like my tutor or something like that," Who explained or at least tried. Her cell phone ran and she almost dropped it out of nervousness. "Aww man; that must be him."

Hesitantly, Who answered the feared call. "Hello? …" She sighed in relief when the voice she heard wasn't Splinter's.

"Oh, hey Leo. Gee, man! You almost made my plastic vessel explode! …No, I'm still at Helga's. … It's ok, I'll walk home. … I'll be fine, geez!" The girl hung up and picked up her bag.

"You should treat your boyfriend better, Whoey. The guy's just concerned about you," Ted chuckled while eating nachos directly from his cheese covered head.

Who froze and slowly turned around with a smile. "Quick question, Ted: would you date your brother?"

Johansen scrunched up his face. "Eww! No way in hell!"

"Then I think you understand exactly what Leo means to me"

She turned around again and made her way to the door.

"Who, wait! I can give you a ride," Deuce offered.

"My place isn't too far but thanks anyway! Night guys!" Who said waving her hand 'good bye'.

As she walked into a dark alley, she felt eyes on her and immediately turned around in a defensive pose. Who found herself alone so she continued walking until she found a manhole.

While she got off the lid, she couldn't help but feel something was there, in the shadows, looking at her and giving her the chills. Who thought it was just her imagination, or she had eaten too much pizza and was now hallucinating or something.

Once she got inside and sealed the lid, she felt a lot safer. This was a better environment, so to speak.

However, as she walked through the tunnels, she felt that strange cold breeze behind her. The very same cold breeze she had felt this morning at the Radio Music Hall.

…

…

* * *

_Dumme, gamle man_: Stupid old man!

_Typisk man_: Typical man!

…

…

_**COUNTDOWN TIME! **_October is finally here and this story only has 28 days to be finished. Wish me luck, I really hate deadlines like this ;_;

But fear not! I shall work day and night to get this story done by Halloween night!

MARK MY WORDS, WORLD!


	9. Chapter 9

_**00:30 am**_

_**Radio Music Hall**_

…

The doors of the theater opened slightly, letting in a dark clothed figure; all security cameras and alarms had been turned off previously in order to proceed with the plan. After the reunion, Frederick had hired special services to help him 'repair' the stage for tomorrow's rehearsal; now he was here to make sure the job was done. However, to his surprise, the lights were all on in the main room where the orchestra practiced and the sound of boot heels echoed in the empty place.

The intruder tried to be stealthy, though stealth was an impossible task for someone who didn't even exercise on regular basis and soon, he was discovered.

The light of a lantern landed on his face, blinding him for a moment.

"_Monsieur_Higgins…"

Frederick recognized the voice. Now the question was: what in the world was Dubois doing in the theater and, more importantly… how did he get in?!

"… Having a midnight walk?" Cécil asked innocently.

"I could ask you the same," Higgins answered.

"I was just finishing organizing the orchestra's music scores. Danny asked me if I could come and I had nothing to do so… I'm here! What is your story?"

Higgins growled, showing his teeth like a furious pit bull. "I owe you no explanations."

Cécil shrugged and went back to organizing the papers. "You did not seem quite happy with the judges' decision earlier."

"I haven't forgotten how you referred to my daughter," Frederick said angrily. "But, I will forget everything… if you give her another chance."

From his coat, he pulled out a check. It was signed already and the zeros behind that 1 could make everyone go nuts.

Dubois lifted his gaze and smiled. "You do not waste time in talking, I see. Directly to the point."

"I'm more of a business man. Use direct words and actions, and win by all the ways possible."

"Including the dirty ones, I see."

"I wouldn't call it that. Now, this could be yours if you just say yes and if you're not happy with the quantity, there's even more where this one came from."

"_Pardonne-moi, Monsieur_ but '_Christine'_ is not for sale," Cécil said firmly. "Besides, it would be very unwise to put your daughter's life at stake."

Frederick froze. "What do you mean?"

"The judge she really had to impress does not make many… public appearances…," Dubois said in a deep voice while he walked away from Higgins. "But truthfully, Frida did not impress her at all."

"Another judge?" Frederick followed Dubois and grabbed his arm, forcefully stopping him. "Who is she?!"

"Are you sure you want your daughter to be '_Christine', Monsieur_Higgins?"

"Absolutely!"

"Very well; tomorrow she shall be tested again," Dubois freed himself from Higgins and grabbed the check, ripping it in tiny pieces in front of his face. "No money needed"

"You are definitely a weird man, Dubois. Anyone would have killed for that money," Frederick smirked smugly. "But have it your way, as long as my Frida gets the stellar."

As he reached the exit door, Cécil looked at Frederick one last time. "I must warn you, if she does not pass… consequences will be terrible." He took a bow and opened the door. "_Bonsoir._"

"What? Now wait a sec… if you're threatening me-"

Frederick's words were abruptly interrupted by a cold and strong wind behind his back that made him shiver. The lights flickered, everything went dark. Then the lights went on again but Dubois had disappeared.

"He's… gone," Higgins whispered, a bit freaked out by the whole situation.

But none of that mattered now- he had won. Now it was up to Frida to get the rest of the job done but he would stick to his original plan just in case.

"You didn't need to do that."

Frederick turned around in shock and saw a red-haired girl standing by the door.

"Frida? What in the world are you doing here?!"

"I should ask you the same, Dad."

"I… well, this uh…"

"You don't need to buy me the main role, Dad. I can win it by myself using just my talent!" Frida said angrily.

Frederick scoffed. "Listen to you, dear. Now you're talking like that little bitch with the weird name."

"She might be a pain in the ass but she's a good soprano," Frida replied.

"Nevermind. Tomorrow you shall try out for _Christine_ again." With this, Frederick made his way to the exit.

"But-"

"-And this time, you better not blow it!" he growled at his daughter who immediately backed away from him.

"Now come. Let's go back home," Higgins ordered and left the place.

Frida sighed loudly, trying to ignore the wetness in her cheeks. "Yes Dad."

Father and daughter abandoned the place and, after making sure the security system was running again, they left in Frederick's black Roll Royce. In the shadows, Cécil observed as they disappeared in the horizon.

"_Pauvre, pauvre_ Frida. Such a stupid father she has… leaving her fate in our hands," he said, chuckling. "Why is it that people always have to learn the hard way?"

The cold breeze caressed the side of his face at the ear level and Dubois smiled. "We both know who we want already but that does not mean we can not play around a little more,_ma_ _chère._"

As he walked away from the theater, he rubbed his hands together and smirked. "Tomorrow will be an eventful day, I assure you."

…

* * *

The next day, everyone was ready for the first general rehearsal; nervousness and excitement could be felt in the air but it was just part of the picture. Who arrived with Michelangelo this time; after his brothers told him how great things had been yesterday, he had insisted so badly to accompany his human friend to her first day of rehearsals that she couldn't just say 'no'. Also, Mikey's puppy eyes were irresistible and, with time, she gave in.

"Ok Mikey, remember: don't talk to anyone but me. Don't make loud noises, stay-"

"-in the shadows where no one can see you; if you brought your PSP, turn off the sound. Also put your shell cell on vibration and you can't eat in here. I know, I know!" Mikey said rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Leo told me that 15 times before coming here!"

"It doesn't hurt to remind you once more. Wish me luck!"

The girl gave Mikey's cheek a quick peck and walked to the scenario.

"_GOOD LUCK, WHOEY!"_

Who cringed at the loud shout that echoed in the whole place; everyone glared at Who's direction. She smiled nervously and then turned her head at Mikey.

"Mikey! No yelling!" She mouthed. Mikey covered his mouth and nodded in understanding.

And just when she was about to reach the stage…

"_SORRY WHOEY!"_

The dark haired girl facepalmed. _"Get a grip, Who. He promised he would behave; now you have to trust him," she thought._

"There you are!" Johansen greeted her. "Thought you weren't coming."

"Hey Teddy, you… smell like cheese," the girl said, scrunching up her nose.

"I know," Ted sighed. "Eddie's hamster was trying to nibble my hair this morning, can you believe it?"

"I thought your brother didn't have pets anymore. You know, after what happened with his goldfish… and… the blender…"

"Y-yeah… well, he-"

Fiona noticed her friend had arrived and ran to greet her with not-so-pleasant news. "Who, you won't believe this but Frida is going to sing your part!"

"WHAT?!"

"There are some rumors about how Frida's and your performance were both so good the judges couldn't decide and today they will make her sing again and then you."

"Who told you that?!"

"Everyone is talking about it!" Fiona said. "And everyone has different versions of the story."

"I say Higgins' father is responsible," Yoriksson said coldly.

"Helga, we don't know that," Rossi argued.

The red-haired girl shrugged. "Will not change my statement."

Who sighed loudly. This day was getting better and better.

…

* * *

There was no such thing as an introduction or even explanations of the real nature of this _'duel'_; the rest of the singers/actors had to wait until this problem was solved once and for all, but they all had their suspicions.

Once a decision was made, nothing and no one could change it. However, this hadn't been the case, and commentaries about bribery and more had been circulating.

Frederick Higgins was there to make sure everything went according to plan; after being insulted by a child, Higgins had a harbored hatred towards the girl with the unusual name and he would give everything he could to see her fall. Frida had other reasons to win: she would savor the sweet taste of victory after defeating her most hated rival, and she would prove her worth to the public, herself _and_her father.

"From the beginning, Frida," Dubois ordered.

"With pleasure," Frida smiled and began to sing.

Her voice hadn't change a bit since yesterday and still didn't convince the judges but, as Dubois had ordered, they had to_'give her a chance'._Who yawned a few times and her eyes were closing because of the lack of sleep she got last night, but it was the vibrations of her phone that woke her up.

"_So, when are you going to sing?"_ Mikey's voice came from the other side of the line.

"In a moment, Mikey. Miss _I'm-so-rich-and-perfect_ and I apparently got the same number of votes and today we'll see who stays with _Christine's_ role permanently," Who explained.

"_This is booooring. Why didn't the guys warn me?!"_

The girl sighed and ignored the youngest turtle question.

"You know, call me crazy but I think what Helga said about Frida's dad bribing the judges is true. I mean, it's the only way something like this could be possible."

"_I don't know who the heck Helga is but… isn't bribery, like, illegal?"_Mikey asked.

"Doesn't seem to matter in this place, I believe," Who said. "Listen, I have to go now. Don't call again unless it's an emergency"

"_Okie dokie lokie!"_

The girl laughed quietly. _"_You've been watching My Little Pony again, haven't you?"

"_So what! It's not a crime to be a brony no matter what Raph says!"_Mikey yelled.

"Sure, whatever." The girl finally hung up and continued waiting for Frida to be done.

Higgins was almost at the last lines of the song; everything was going peachy keen until the moment she reached the highest peak at the ending. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth but no sound came from it; everyone in the room looked at her expectantly. Frida smiled and tried again and this time a choked sound came from her throat before she broke into a coughing fit.

"Something wrong, _Mademoiselle_ Higgins?" Dubois asked in concern.

"N-no, no. Everything is fine," Frida say between coughs.

The corner of Cécil's lips quirked up. "I do not think you are in condition to sing today,_Mademoiselle._ But it was a nice-"

"I AM NOT FINISHED!"

Frida's loud cry echoed in the place silencing the audience. She was fuming in anger and frustration; what was happening to her? She had prepared all night for this second chance- how in the world had she gotten sick so suddenly? Frida tried to sing again but still coughed; she grabbed her chest in pain, each cough intensifying the horrible stabbing sensation in that area.

Who quickly ran upstairs and tried to keep Frida steady on her feet before she passed out; the latter pried her rival's hands off her and Who simply backed away to not disturb her further but stayed close just in case.

"Miss Higgins, if you're not feeling well you should probably go home and rest. If you keep forcing your vocal chords, you'll ruin them forever," Lucile advised.

"Mrs. Harris, I won't leave until I'm done singing!" Higgins yelled once her coughing fit subsided a little.

"Frida, c'mon. You don't look so well," Who tried to approach her again, extending a bottle of fresh water at her. "Here, have a drink. It might help."

"NO! I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!"

Angry, Frida grabbed the bottle, threw it to the other side of the stage and walked defiantly towards Who, stomping her red heels on the wooden surface.

In the judges row, Dubois' smile grew larger and maniacal.

"You are not going to be _Christine_! I WILL!" Frida stomped her foot once again.

A creaking sound stopped her and made her look to the floor; her right heel got stuck in the growing crack. When she tried to remove it, the wood beneath her broke and she lost her balance.

Frida screamed in panic as she fell. Lucky for her, the grey wool jacket she wore got stuck in a large piece of splintered wood and prevented her from impacting the ground.

"Somebody DO something, you bunch of idiots! That's my daughter up there!" Frederick yelled. "Call an ambulance, the police, the firefighters… call the president, JUST DO SOMETHING!"

Michelangelo didn't hesitate on jumping into action; running past the scared crowd, he reached the scenario and climbed upstairs. Meanwhile, Who tried to get to Frida without killing herself in the process.

"Give me your hand, quick!"

"I DON'T WANNA DIE!" Frida cried desperately.

"Calm down and stop wiggling!"

"Need a hand?"

Who lifted her gaze and saw Mikey standing there. She nodded and both girl and turtle grabbed Frida's hands tightly.

"Easy there, dudette. We're getting you outta here in one piece. I promise," Mikey said, hoping Frida would calm down. "We'll pull you up at the count of one… two… three!"

Who and Mikey pulled the frightened girl up and brought her safely away from the destroyed area. Frida shook in fear and stood up with the ninja and the girl's help.

"Are you hurt?" Who didn't have time to hear the answer because of a very concerned and pale Frederick, who snatched his daughter out of her grip.

"Frida! Are you alright?" Frederick asked, hugging Frida tightly.

"Mr. Higgins, the ambulance is here," one of the judges informed. Frederick took his daughter and walked away. Suddenly, Frida stopped and turned her gaze to Who.

"Thank you, both of you, for not letting me fall."

Both Higgins left the place, but the scared crowd was still talking and commenting on what had just happened.

"Though I think that wasn't part of the show, I have to say, it was cool and dramatic!" Mikey commented "Like those movies where the bad guy puts a trap on the ground so the good guy falls in and dies? It's a classic!"

"This shouldn't have happened," Who said to herself rubbing her chin. "This place is not _ANCIENT_ enough to be breaking apart."

"I better go back to the hiding spot before people start asking Mikey, _The Hero of the Radio Music Hall_, for autographs." Dusting his pants and hands, the orange-clad ninja reached for the stairs.

Who sighed. "At least no one got hurt."

The dark haired girl followed Mikey when her shoe stepped on a red wire. The last thing she heard was the sound of hurried steps behind her before she was tackled to ground. When she opened her eyes, Cécil was beside her, panting and looking at the heavy sandbag that had landed a few inches from Who. Mikey turned around and saw, horrified, how close his friend had come to being killed.

"That thing almost crushed me to death!" Who yelled, staring at the sandbag still in shock.

"Then you are very lucky," Dubois said, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. "It would have been a tragic loss."

Both Cécil and Who looked at each other when the girl got tackled again, this time by a very concerned Michelangelo.

"Whoey! You ok? Nothing's broken? Oh gosh, Leo would've had my head if something happened to you!" He babbled while inspecting every inch of Who's body.

"I'm fine, I'm fine! Nothing is -… Hey, you're shaky. What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?! You could've died right in behind of me and… I mean, you were right there and I didn't…" Mikey covered his face with his hands and sighed. "Some ninja I am."

The girl took the ninja's hands in hers. "Don't you ever say that again, ok? It's not your fault! Things like this happen"

"But-"

"Don't argue with a lady, Mikey. It's not polite," Who said firmly. "You _are_ a great ninja… _and_… The Battle Nexus Champion. Huh? And the others are not~"

This comment made the young ninja smile a little.

"How about I get you some choco-ice cream, hmm?" Who suggested.

"Can I have…_two_?" Mikey asked using his best puppy eyes. Who chuckled and nodded.

When they were leaving, she turned to Cécil who hadn't moved from his spot. "Thanks for the rescue. I better leave now. My… little bro here… is not feeling so well"

Right after Who and Mikey left, police officers and theater workers began to inspect the area inch by inch. Dubois approached a police officer and listened to the report.

"Someone was messing around with the stage sandbags. That, and also the wood planks look like they were sawed if you ask me," the officer said after taking a closer look at the area.

Dubois opened his eyes wide in realization; he left the place quickly while he cursed mentally at the one responsible for of all this. "_Ce bâtard va payer pour cela!"_ he growled.

Opening a secret passage, he disappeared into a dark room; he snapped his fingers and a dark slender silhouette appeared form the shadows.

"_Ma chére_, it is time for you to pay a visit to that pest and put an end to his pathetic existence!"

The silhouette nodded and vanished into thin air.

* * *

…

…

_Pauvre, pauvre_ Frida: Poor, poor Frida.

_Ce bâtard va payer pour cela!:_That bastard is going to pay for this!


	10. Chapter 10

Michelangelo was still replaying the incident of a few minutes ago in his head; to know that his friend could have died right behind him made the young ninja shudder.

"That was spooky! Don't ever make me go to that place again," the orange-clad ninja said, his voice quivering in fear.

Who chuckled. "You're telling me. This play is about to become as cursed as _'La forza del destino'_ if things like that keep happening."

Mikey blinked. "L-La… fork da whatnow?"

"Verdi's _The Force of Destiny_. Many old school Italian singers felt it was _'cursed'_and brought bad luck. And for that reason, the very superstitious Luciano Pavarotti avoided the part of _Alvaro_."

Mikey blinked again. Twice. "Uh… I got lost?"

Who facepalmed and sighed. "Old opera where everyone dies and it's said that the ghosts of the characters kill those who participate in it."

"Ohh! Now I got it!" the young ninja exclaimed. "Why didn't you just say that?"

"She makes the simplest things sound complicated; you'll get used to it."

The girl froze at the sound of the voice coming from behind her. This day had sure brought loads of surprises, but nothing could have prepared her for this. She turned around slowly, hoping her ears had tricked her, but as soon as she faced the figure behind her, her eyes opened wide.

A man around his 40's with thick, straight, and slicked black hair with a side part, wearing dark dress pants, dark shoes and a light blue long-sleeved formal shirt stood before her eyes with a bright smile and his arms folded against his chest.

"Dad?" She said, almost whispering.

"He's your dad?!" Mikey asked, half excitedly, half shocked.

The man chuckled lightly. "Happy to see me, dear?"

Who gawked at him, her senses completely shut down and not responding to any stimuli.

Mikey waved his hand in front of the girl's face. "Hello? Earth to Whoey~"

The man looked at Mikey in puzzlement. "Whoey? What Whoey?"

"Mikey, you think you can go back home by yourself?" Who said, once she remembered how to articulate words.

"Wait a minute, he's… your boyfriend?" the man asked, pointing at Mikey.

"NO! No way in hell!" she snapped. "Mikey is my… er… my…"

"Her fashion advisor!" the youngest finished the statement.

The man arched a brow. "Fashion advisor?"

"Tchyeah~ Can't you see how stylish I am?" Mikey said in a weird high society-like accent while striking a pose. A girly one.

The man blinked and so did Who. "Mikey, I think you should go back home and think of something I could wear for… er… New Year's Eve!" she said, smiling awkwardly.

"_Okie dokie lokie!_Nice to meet you, sir." With a wave of his hand, Michelangelo left both humans and disappeared into the next alley.

"So, now that my… very special friend is gone…"

"Love, if that's your boyfriend, that's okay! I-"

"-He's not dad. I can assure you," Who said firmly.

The man laughed and stretched out his arms towards the girl. "How about you give your old man one of your rib crushing bear hugs?"

The girl didn't have to be told twice and in less than a blink, she threw herself into the arms of her father, hugging him so hard it was a miracle she didn't break his rib cage.

Who's dad winced. "Ow! You still got it!"

"This is certainly a great surprise!" the girl said, smiling widely. "How about we go for some bagels and coffee, huh?"

"Bagels and coffee it is!"

…

* * *

"This place is not like TV says; it's better!" Who's dad commented after drinking his steaming coffee.

"Yeah, this city has its wonders," Who said. Then, she reached out for one of her dad's hands and squeezed it. "I missed you so much, Daddy"

"I missed you too, my little kitten," the man said, smiling softly. "Say, you still_'meow'_, right?"

Who chuckled. "All the time; it drives Klunk crazy because he hears another cat but he can't see it!"

"Klunk?"

"Mikey's cat," she explained.

"Dear, what were you doing in that big cinema thingy?"

Who laughed. "It's a theater, Daddy. The Radio Music Hall, remember?"

"Ah, yes, yes! You never stopped talking about it when you were little," the man recalled.

"We're doing _'The Phantom of the Opera'_for this years' Halloween Festival."

"Oh? _'The Phantom of the Opera' ,_huh? Ah, those good old days," he said with a thoughtful expression on his face._"_I remember you were all crazy for the Phantom's story; you made me buy masks every Halloween. And you looked so lovely with that big curtain around your neck and you said it was your cape."

The dark haired girl blushed at the old memory; how silly she felt after remembering that.

"Well, I'm glad to let you know that my days as _Phantom_ are over, and now I'm going to be _Christine_!"

Who's dad almost choked on his coffee after hearing this. "For real? Wow, congratulations! This first day in New York sure had pretty awesome surprises,_"_he laughed. "So, you're in rehearsals now?"

"Kinda. Everything was fine until things started happening. Weird things," Who commented.

"Things like?"

The girl rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "The stage floor had a hole and Frida stepped on it and almost fell down… and I almost got crushed like a bug-"

"WHAT?!"

Her dad's yell almost made Who jump out of her seat. "It was nothing, Dad. Really!"

"Nothing? NOTHING?!" The man had rose from his seat, fuming in anger.

"Dad, people are watching. Calm down!" Who whispered.

"Calm down? My princess almost died today and you say _'calm down'_?!"

Who placed a hand on her dad's and smiled. "Dad, remember your blood pressure."

"Blood pressure? HAH! Look at me! I feel like teenager!" Who's dad said, flexing his arms. The girl sighed in relief; she was lucky her father changed moods pretty quickly.

"Well, I do have to say, Daddy, you look incredibly good! Have you been exercising?"

"Meh, your mom and her crazy diets. No meat, more fruit… and vegetables! Horrible, horrible vegetables… it's pure torture!"

The girl laughed at her father's distress. "If it's for your own good, then you have to eat them, Daddy."

"Oh and now you are against me too?! The horror!" the man said dramatically, causing his daughter to laugh loudly.

He joined her in her laughter for a few seconds before he caught his breath and simply stared at his daughter. She had grown up a lot in these last 2 years; she was no longer a little girl. Now she looked like a young beautiful woman. The scar of her surgery was no longer there, which proved she had been taking good care of herself on her own. She looked happier… most importantly: she was _smiling_! The thought made him sigh in contentment and also feel a bit nostalgic.

"You look amazing too, love. Just like your mom when I first met her."

The smile on Who's face vanished and she sighed loudly. "Gee, thanks Dad. Now I have to look for a plastic surgeon."

The man's brow furrowed with concern. "You're still mad at her, aren't you?"

"Dad, with all due respect, I'd like to not talk about that woman"

Who's dad frowned and looked into her eyes with a serious expression on his face. "_That woman_ is your mother and you owe her respect! That's how I raised you and your sister."

The girl's eyes went downcast. "Hey, speaking of them… are they with you?"

"No. They are home."

Who looked at her dad in surprise. "But you never leave the girls home."

"Well, I got this mystery call with very specific details like: no girls allowed. Just me. I was just finishing up a surgery when I got a call from a young man; pretty cheerful like those guys from the TV. He told me about this… program… where they selected people that hadn't seen their relatives in a while and he told me where you lived and, of course I asked myself: _'is this some kind of joke?'_Then he said there was a copter waiting for me," he explained.

"So you accepted. And how did you convince Mom to let you go? You know how paranoid she is when you have to go out on a trip."

Who's dad chuckled. "Tell me about it; we had an argument when I told her I had to leave for a '_very important conference'_ in New York. But I managed to convince her and… here I am!"

"That's… a bit odd," Who said rubbing her chin while she tried to find a logical explanation to all this. The sound of her cell phone brought her back to reality.

"Sup, Deuce … Right now?! But I'm with… Can't they just… Alright, alright. I'm on my way," she hung up with a heavy sigh. "Sorry Daddy, they need me back at the theater"

"Oh, it's alright. Duty calls, I guess." The man shrugged. "But I'd really like to see you again very soon."

"How about we _'go out on a date'_, huh? Just like old times," Who suggested. "8 pm good for you?"

"Sounds perfect! So, where are you living?" her dad asked.

"Oh! Uh, you can… er…" It wasn't until this moment that she remembered exactly where she was living. She needed to make up an excuse and fast. '_Think, Whoey, think!'_

And then, an imaginary light bulb lightened on top of her head. She pulled out a pencil and a piece of paper from her purse and wrote down something. Then she extended the paper to her dad.

"Here! This is the address and now I gotta run!"

Jumping up like a spring, she left her seat and ran outside the cafeteria while her dad waved goodbye with a smile on his face.

…

…

* * *

_**Meanwhile, on Higgins' residence…**_

…

"I can _not_believe you gave up that easily!"

Frederick paced like a caged lion in front of Frida, whose arms were folded while she looked at the window trying to ignore her father. After they got home, she had told her father her wishes to give up Christine's pursue and settle to play Carlota's role instead, which had infuriated her father.

"If you didn't notice, Dad, I almost fell into a hole in the middle of the stage! I could've broken my neck or something!" Frida replied.

"And because of that you had to give your role to the enemy?!"

"She deserves it, Dad."

Frederick let out a halfhearted chuckle. "Your heart is softening, Frida. A couple of years ago you would have pushed that girl into that hole right after she let you out."

Frida's eyes widened. "Would you listen to yourself? You're talking like some kind of cold blooded murderer!"

"Sometimes, Frida, you must do whatever it takes to win," Frederick said coldly.

"Not if that includes getting my hands dirty!"

Frederick scoffed. "You talk just like your mother."

"AT LEAST SHE KNEW THE MEANING OF HONESTY! YOU NEANDERTHAL BRUTE!" Frida yelled.

Frederick didn't hesitate to use force against his daughter as he slapped her; the intensity of the hit made the girl stumble back and fall to her bed in a sobbing mess. He sprinted out of his daughter's room, slamming the door behind him as he left.

Frida curled up like a ball as she cried her heart out; she fingered her necklace and opened the small heart-shaped medallion. The picture of her deceased mother smiled at her and Frida had to force herself to smile back.

In the golden cage where she lived, this was the only treasure she really cared for.

"Sorry, Mom. I didn't want to insult Dad… or maybe I _did_ want to," Frida said between sobs. "But I know you would've said something like: _you must understand him, he's your dad,_ and more corny stuff like that, right?"

She looked at the picture once more before closing the medallion and tucking the necklace back into her blouse. She hugged herself tightly and closed her eyes, tears still rolling down her red and aching cheek.

Inside his studio, Frederick pressed the cell phone keys with much more force than needed; still pacing and fuming, he waited for someone on the other line to answer his urgent call. Finally after a few tries, Frederick got what he wished for.

"Pass me on to your boss," he growled and waited for 10 more minutes.

"_Yes?"_

"Draco, I believe I paid you to get the job done without any mistakes," Frederick said angrily.

"_Oh, Mr. Higgins! Ya don't sound too happy, boss. What, my boys' professional job didn't please ya?"_

"I have some news for you: my daughter almost died because of your _'professional work'_, you piece of shit!"

"_Whoa there! No need to be harsh. We can solve that tiny mistake but… we gonna need some extra dough, ya know?"_

"I don't care! Money is not the problem; I just want the girl wiped off the-"

A loud _'clang'_ coming from outside distracted Frederick; he looked through his glass door but didn't see a thing. When he was about to talk again, he heard a louder _'clang' _that almost made him jump in fear.

"I'll call you back." After this, Frederick left his phone on the desk and went outside.

The air suddenly became colder which made Frederick check the air conditioner, but when he found nothing wrong with it, he shrugged and walked back to his studio. It was then that the lights started to flicker and Frederick froze in his tracks; the air got colder and colder by the second and the lights flickered rapidly now.

Higgins began to hear whispers and languid wails and his heart started to beat rapidly.

A _'thump'_from the end of the corridor caused Frederick to jump back but then he noticed it was just one of his pictures that had fallen of the wall. Nonetheless, he grabbed an ancient foil from the wall with shaky hands and made his way towards the fallen picture with small steps. But the wailing never ceased, it got louder and louder the more Higgins approached to the picture. Frederick gulped loudly and looked at his surroundings, almost dropping the foil twice.

After what seemed like an eternity, Frederick got to the spot at the end of the corridor. Hesitantly, he picked up the picture and everything went back to normal; the air was normal, the lights stopped flickering and the wailing and whispering ceased.

Higgins sighed in relief and laughed nervously. "No more brandy for me."

He hung the picture on the wall again but noticed a dark spot on the glass; with his handkerchief, Higgins rubbed glass clean but the dark spot didn't disappeared. He rubbed harder and then leaned closer to the picture.

His eyes went wide and a scream left his lips right before his world filled with unbearable pain and darkness consumed him completely.

In her room, Frida had calmed down and was about to find her father and offer him an apology when she heard the scream. She bolted outside and was welcomed with a cold breeze on her face and silence all over the house.

"Dad?" she called.

When nobody answered her back, she got worried and walked through the rooms. She reached her father's studio and found the door open, his cell phone on the desk and papers all over the floor. Something that got her attention was the fact that in all the pictures where her father appeared, his face was scratched out like cat scratches on a pole.

"Dad, where are you?" Frida called, louder this time.

She walked through the large corridor till she reached the beginning of the long stairs.

"Dad, I heard noises. What's going-AHHHH!" Frida yelled in horror and fell to her knees after seeing the scene before her eyes.

Somewhere, in the dark depths of the theater, Cécil smiled wickedly. _"Bien joué, mon amour"_

Yes, this had been an eventful day indeed.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Later that night…**_

…

Leonardo left the dojo with Donatello after a sparring match; the genius was lacking in swiftness and the leader decided a little extra training was needed. The purple-clad ninja panted, sweated and could barely move his legs; Leo had been quite less strict this time, but Don's limbs disagreed.

"Tell me again: what did I do to endure such torture?!"

Leo chuckled. "Stop whining. You wouldn't be hurting if you trained more."

They were just arriving to the kitchen when Who walked past them humming happily.

"Someone's in a good mood," Leo commented, opening his can of soda.

"You won't believe who I saw today after rehearsals," Who started. "My dad! Can you believe it? He's here in New York!"

Leo blinked. "You're kidding me, right?"

"No, I'm not! I swear on my Chinny's life!"

"Your Chinny is a teddy bear…" Don pointed out "…so, technically-"

The girl narrowed eyes. "-Nobody asked you, Don. Anyway, we're going out tonight but I need to run to April's place and hope she's in a good mood."

"Why?" Leo managed to ask before his friend sprinted towards the elevator.

"I'll explain later!" She shouted. The elevator's door closed and the lair was again in silence.

"She looked really happy," Don said.

Leo smiled. "Yep. Quite a nice sight, may I say." When he turned his attention to his brother, his smile vanished. "You, on the contrary, look worried. What's eating you?"

Don scoffed. "You mean 'what's _not.'_ Mikey was asking lots of questions when you got back from your patrol round last night."

"And?"

"I managed to convince him it was really nothing, but Raph didn't give up."

Leo frowned. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No but he's suspicious; he has the feeling you did something stupid and that we better brace ourselves for the consequences if something goes wrong," Don commented. "Usually, I don't agree with most of Raph's statements, but he has a point with this one. If she ever knows-"

"She won't, trust me." Leo replied. "Once this is over, she'll be as happy as she's ever been, and we will carry on with our lives like nothing happened."

"But Leo, what if something goes wrong?" Don asked in concern.

"If something goes wrong, _which_ I doubt will happen, I'll take the blame completely."

"It's not about blaming someone. I'm just saying this would've been a lot easier if you didn't have to lie," the genius debated as he left his seat.

The blue-clad turtle followed him closely. "I'm not lying, Donatello."

"You're hiding information from your best friend, two brothers and father," Don said, facing his eldest brother. "That qualifies as lying, Leonardo."

Before the purple-clad ninja had another chance to turn around, Leonardo placed both hands on his brother's shoulders, stabilizing and immobilizing him while he held his gaze. "Do you trust me, Donnie?"

Don recognized his brother's attempt to convince him everything would be alright using the reassuring-big-brother act. "Leo, c'mon-"

"-well, do you?" the eldest insisted.

After a long sigh, Donatello nodded. "Yes."

Leo smiled. "Then trust me on this one too."

Don narrowed eyes. "I hate it when you pull out the _'trust'_ card."

"It's my secret weapon _and_ your kryptonite; I thought you knew that by now," the eldest said, twisting his brother's headband so it became a blindfold.

Don's muttered protests were the last thing Leo heard before heading back to his room. "Good night, Donnie. Don't stay up too late, ok?"

Before Don could reply, Leo climbed upstairs and disappeared into his room. The purple-clad ninja shook his head and pinched the skin between his eyebrows; he knew what he had gotten himself into when Leonardo first proposed his crazy plan, and he was very aware of the consequences if they failed. The genius wasn't a quitter but Raphael's words had left him thinking of leaving Leo alone in this mad quest. However, Leo trusted him to be there till the end and Don couldn't just leave his brother on his own, so he had no choice but to continue with the plan. A choice he sometimes regretted.

He nearly jumped out of his shell when he felt something brushing his leg but then he saw it was just Mikey's cat. The orange tabby meowed and circled the genius' leg while purring loudly in an attempt to call his attention so he could be petted. Donatello chuckled and knelt to pick up the little fur ball.

"Sometimes I envy you, Klunk. You don't have to deal with stuff like this. You're just a cat with a normal pet life," he sighed. "Makes me want to go back to the time I used to be a pet turtle."

Klunk stared at Don's eyes and put a paw between his eyes. "Meow."

"Yeah, that was a silly idea"

…

* * *

"So let me get this straight: you told your dad you live _here_?" April asked, still shocked by Who's sudden appearance.

The latter had barely explained the situation to the red haired woman who was still confused and had tons of questions in her mind.

"It's not like he gave me a choice… or more time to think on something else!" Who replied. "And I couldn't possibly say: _Hey, dad! I live in a sewer with four giant turtles and a rat! Come pick me up!_"

"Well, I understand but… don't you think you're exaggerating just a little bit? I mean, it's not like he's going to come in, right?"

A knock on the door interrupted April.

"That answer your question?" Who said as she picked up her bag and ran to the guest room.

"Wait! Where are you going?" April hissed.

"I'm not ready yet! I need to change!" Who yelled.

"What about your dad?!"

"April, just let him come in!"

The red haired woman sighed and opened the door, forcing a smile. "Hi! You must be Who's dad. She's still getting ready but please, come in."

Who's dad smiled back and entered the room. "Thank you kindly. You must be my daughter's roommate," he said shaking hands with April. "Pleased to meet you; friends call me Dr. D."

"So the secret name gig _IS_ a family thing after all," April muttered.

He looked at her in puzzlement. "Pardon me?"

"Nothing; I'm April."

Minutes passed and both April and Dr. D were engaged in deep conversation that was just interrupted by the sound of a newsflash.

"_Our top story tonight, magnate Frederick Higgins was found by his daughter severely wounded in his mansion this afternoon. For more on this story, we go live to Tara Swanson. Tara, what happened out there?"_

"_Steven, it appears that Mr. Higgins was mysteriously stabbed and pushed downstairs according to the police investigation. Unfortunately, investigators haven't found any clue about who the aggressor might be yet."_

"_What does the daughter say?"_

"_Frida Higgins claims there was no one inside the building but herself and her father at the moment this happened."_

"_How's Mr. Higgins' condition?"_

"_He's gone critical but doctors affirm he was found in time and has a chance to recuperate. Had he been found a couple of minutes later, he wouldn't have been so lucky. Police will investigate further on this matter and will try to track down the criminal once they identify him. Back to you, Steven."_

"Wait a sec, I know that guy!"

April and Dr. D turned their attention to the voice coming from behind them. Who was standing there, staring at the television horrified by what she had just seen.

"He's the one who paid for the whole Phantom production! Who could've done that to him?!" 'You mean, who wouldn't?' her subconscious joked.

"Why, look at you darling! You look beautiful," Dr. D praised his daughter's look, the news completely left aside.

Who blushed. "Thanks Dad."

She looked back at the television where a very sad Frida was being interviewed. Frida's face revealed concern and fear, emotions Who thought Frida wasn't capable of feeling. The dark haired girl sighed deeply; suddenly she didn't feel like going out anymore.

Dr. D sensed his daughter's change of mood; he stood beside her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "C'mon dear, let's not be sad tonight."

A bit reluctantly, Who smiled and after waving good bye to April, she left the place with her father.

…

* * *

Dr. D was fascinated by the wonders New York had to offer; his daughter had taken him to the most incredible places and he had taken lots of photos. Who had refused to appear on them because she knew her mother and sister would ask her father about her whereabouts and would probably insist until he talked. And she did not want her father to suffer at the hands of those two harpies. However, Dr. D had managed to take a few pictures with his daughter promising no one but him would look at them.

After the tour, they went to a restaurant to rest their feet and fill their stomachs till contentment. During their meal, Dr. D noticed Who hadn't said a word and her face wore a thoughtful expression.

"You've been awfully quiet, dear. What's wrong?"

"I'm worried about Mr. Higgins," Who said poking her food with a fork.

"There's something else that's bothering you," Dr. D added.

Who smiled sadly. "You know me too well."

Her father gave her a smile and a nod of encouragement; she sighed and continued talking.

"Call me crazy, but I'm thinking those situations: what happened to Mr. Higgins, and what happened at the theater, are related somehow. Plus, I've been feeling a strange vibe in that place lately."

"You're still superstitious, I see," Dr. D pointed out.

"It's not just superstition, Dad. I know you don't believe in those things but I'm telling you, I feel something odd when I go to that place; especially when I'm near Cécil. It gives me the chills!"

Dr. D chuckled. "That, my dear, is called attraction."

"Dad!" Who protested angrily, slamming her fist on the table.

"_Mademoiselle_ Who?"

'_Speaking of the devil…'_ Who thought once she heard the voice from behind her. "Cécil? What are you doing here?"

"Just having a drink and trying to relax. Especially after knowing what happened to Frederick; talk about karma, huh?" Dubois said grinning darkly.

Who blinked. "Karma? What does that have to do with-"

"-You have company, I see," Cécil said, stretching his hand towards Dr. D. "Pleased to meet you, sir"

"Let me guess, you're… Cécil Dubois. You must be the guy that has my daughter all shaky, right?" Dr. D said, giving a teasing look to his daughter who glared at him furiously.

Dubois chuckled. "I must confess I do have that effect on women."

Dr. D arched a brow."Oh yeah? And what kind of effect does your _ego_ have on them?" He said as he stood, picked up his things and signaled for his daughter to do the same.

"Sorry to leave so suddenly, good sir, but I'm allergic to egocentrism."

Who wanted to burst out in laughter after hearing this and seeing the dumbfounded expression on Dubois' face but kept composure.

"Also, you are interrupting our father-daughter date, so we'll be going now," Dr. D smiled and waved at Dubois. "See you in a few years!"

Cécil stared at the girl and her companion as they left. He smirked evilly and raised his glass.

'Well played, Monsieur,' he said mentally. 'Well played.'

…

…

* * *

**2:45 am**

**Central Park**

…

Who's behavior had improved incredibly after what happened back at the restaurant; she was talking and laughing more, the tension was gone and now she could truly relax and have a great time with her dad. Unfortunately, like all good things in life, this _'date'_had to come to an end.

"Well, it's been a lovely night, but tomorrow I have rehearsals first thing in the morning, so I better get back home," Who said, getting a long sigh from her dad.

"One last photo, please?" her dad requested. She giggled and took the camera, pointed at them and shot. Or so she thought.

"Strange, it's not working." She took out the battery and placed it back in, activating the camera again. "Ah! There it is!"

Before taking the pic, Who looked at the previous photos in the camera's memory card. She froze and almost dropped the device once she reached the first one. Her eyes widened, her hands shook and her mouth was slightly opened in shock.

"D-Dad? Is this the… helicopter that picked y-you up and brought you here?" She asked almost stuttering.

"Yes. Pretty fancy, I must say. Though, it was kinda weird they had those trinkets on the back," Dr. D commented, showing Who the following photo.

The girl's grip on the camera tightened, her breathing quickened and her brows furrowed in anger.

Dr. D looked at her and frowned in worry. "Something wrong, dear?"

"Nothing!" She said through clenched teeth. "Nothing's wrong, Dad" _'At least not yet'_


	12. Chapter 12

_**8:30 am**_

_**Turtle's Lair.**_

…

Leonardo wasn't one to sleep in on Sundays. To him, everyday was training day, but this time he allowed himself to wake up a bit late. He just tied his mask on his face and his belt, forgetting the rest of his gear just because, and left his room. To his surprise, his brothers had done just the same; they were just leaving their rooms when Leo reached the stairs.

The fearsome foursome walked downstairs together, talking and jabbering nonsense. They all stopped their chattering when they saw Who sat by the table with a serious face, her arms folded against her chest and her legs crossed.

"For someone who's been partying all night, you don't exactly look happy, witch-girl," Raph said.

"We need to talk. Please, take a seat. All of you. This is something I'm expecting you all will find interesting," Who's voice was monotone, calmed. Dangerously calmed.

Donatello looked at Leonardo with scared eyes. The leader looked at him with a reassuringly smile that didn't exactly calm Don's nerves completely, but it was something. Mikey and Raph, on the other hand, did what they were told, not exactly sure what the heck was going on but suspecting it might have something to do with the secret Leo and Don were keeping from them.

"So… what now?" Mikey broke the uncomfortable silence.

Who took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "As you know, my father surprised me with his arrival yesterday and we spent the whole night hanging out. Like a father-daughter reunion."

"Yeah, we all remember that," Raph said, a bit annoyed. "You were all jumpy and cheery when you gave us the news."

"Ever since I saw him…" Who continued, "…I couldn't stop asking myself: Why did he come here after two years of my… _'disappearance'_? Why now? And most importantly: _how _did he find me?"

Who's voice had darkened as much as her gaze. Don could feel it. Under the table, he clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white. The touch of a warm hand on top of his made Don gaze in Leo's direction, who gave him a calming look before staring back at Who. Don wondered how Leo managed to control his emotions in situations like this. Maybe it was thanks to his training or his extra hours meditating; either way, he was glad at least one of them was calm. But not even Leo's presence could rid Don of the feeling of unease he sensed in the air.

"You know, I've been asking myself the same thing!" Mikey exclaimed. "How the heck did he find you?"

"Maybe he already knew where she was all this time but wouldn't do a thing because he was busy or something but now she's gonna be in a big Halloween play, he's coming to his senses and finally wants to see his all famous lil' girl and make sure all her money goes to his account," Raph said bluntly.

"I would expect my _mother_ to do that, not my father so…I have to disagree with you on that one, Raphael," Who pointed out.

"It takes a lot of time to find someone who's missing, especially when you have no idea where to start looking, you know?" Don said, trying to mask his nervousness with a thoughtful façade.

Who narrowed eyes. "Or perhaps he had a little extra help."

With that said, she stood up and threw a bunch of pictures on the table. Raph and Mikey picked up a few and started analyzing them.

"That's our copter," Raph said.

"I don't understand, what's up with our copter?" Mikey asked in confusion.

"My dad was taken from his job in that copter… _your_ copter! And those weapons are Leonardo's and Donatello's!" Who said angrily, showing more pictures. Don and Leo gasped, their eyes widening in shock.

"SAY WHAT!" Raph and Mikey rose from their seats simultaneously. Don and Leo repeated the action trying to remain calm, but by the looks of the situation, they had been discovered big time and nothing they could say would save them.

"Guys, we can explain!" Leo started.

"I had a feeling you were doing something stupid but _this_?! This is beyond the stupidity charts!" the sai wielder spat furiously.

"Dude, seriously! What were you thinking?! You could've blown our cover!" Mikey seconded him.

"I told you to stay out of my private life," Who hissed, slowly approaching Leonardo like a lion stalking its prey. "My family problems are _mine_ and _mine_ only and I can solve them without your help; you didn't have any right to interfere!"

Mikey and Raph were petrified staring at the scene, not sure of what to do One part of them wanted to help make the situation less problematic, but another said: _'Leave now and stay out of this. They got into this mess and now they must face the consequences.'_

"Who, calm down!" Don came between his brother and the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder. "There's no need to-"

"Don't you dare touch me, you dirty traitor!" Who yelled, slapping the hand away. "You are no better than your brother and if you think your fake '_innocent_' face will save you this time, you may wanna think twice!"

The sound of a clearing throat interrupted her and everyone's attention focused on the doorframe where a very angry Splinter stood. The turtles' blood went ice-cold after looking into their Master's brown eyes; they knew that look very well and it meant business.

Great, like dealing with an angry girl wasn't bad enough.

…

* * *

"Leonardo. I expect you have a good explanation for this," Splinter said as he paced in front of his kneeling students.

The blue-clad ninja sighed softly. "When we were in Hawaii, Who and I talked about her father. She said she missed him and I thought, maybe, I could… bring him here to New York-"

"-which was one of the most stupid ideas you've ever had," Raph said harshly.

"Don't interrupt!" Splinter commanded, hitting his walking stick against the dojo mats. He then looked at the sword wielder. "Proceed, Leonardo."

"Once we arrived to the lair, I asked Don for assistance. He was reluctant at first but in the end, he helped me," Leo continued. "We did some research and used some of Who's information from her laptop-"

Who gasped. "-YOU DID WHAT!?"

"Oh boy," Mikey muttered.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" The girl was about to tackle the sword wielder when a pair of hands grabbed her by the waist.

"Easy, sis! Remember: breathe in, breathe out," the youngest turtle said, trying to not lose grip on the struggling girl.

"When we finally got her father's location, I used a voice program to send the message and used the copter to bring him here," Don continued, wincing when his father sighed loudly in disapproval.

By the end of the brothers' tale, Who had stopped struggling; she looked at the blue and the purple-clad ninjas, her vision blurring by the tears of anger.

"I've had enough of this," she hissed. Finally escaping from Mikey's grip, she stood up and made her way outside the dojo.

Splinter frowned. "Young-one, where do you think you are going?"

"I'm sorry, Sensei. But I can't stand one more minute near those two," Who said while she continued walking.

Leonardo swiftly followed her and grabbed her hand. "One-chan, c'mon, we can talk about-"

The girl's free hand slammed on the ninja's face, the sound of the slap echoing in the dojo. Leo's face, forcefully moved to the side, turned back to stare at the furious girl.

"Don't ever call me that again!" Who growled. "You know why I trusted you all my secrets, my problems… my whole life? Because I thought you weren't like humans; I thought your so beloved honor made you different! But I guess I was wrong, you are nothing but a backstabbing traitor!"

The three remaining turtles gasped. Nothing could hurt Leo more than a direct attack to his honor, they knew. The blue-clad ninja couldn't look at the girl directly in her eyes anymore; he lowered his gaze while she continued to let out her anger on him. After all, it was expected she'd react like that.

"Once, you told me I could trust in you, and I think now I know why: so you could _lie_ to me and pretend I would forgive you so easily! Well, guess what? If that was your plan, you failed!"

Just before she left the dojo, Who looked at the purple-clad ninja. "Donnie… I can't believe a mind so brilliant could be so easily manipulated."

She was gone right after that.

Leonardo and Donatello silently stared at the floor: one standing, the other kneeling before Splinter with his other two brothers who looked at both of them in disappointment.

"I'm sorry, Sensei," Donatello started, his voice full of remorse. "I… we didn't think that-"

"-Sensei, this is all my fault," Leo cut in, walking to join his brothers and bowing deeply, forehead to ground. "If someone is to be punished here, that's me. Please, spare Donatello. I was the one who forced him into this"

"Leonardo, Donatello… one is just as liable as the other," Splinter spoke. "You two created this web of lies and because of your foolishness and lack of reason, both of you have lost your friend's confidence. Which means I cannot spare either of you, my sons."

"Master Splinter, maybe this pair of dummies messed things up but… isn't the thought what counts?" Mikey intervened.

"Yeah! I mean, Fearless just wanted to reunite a dad and his daughter… I guess," Raph added.

"We knew she had to face her past sooner or later, but this was not the correct way of doing it," Splinter replied. "Leonardo, do you have something to say in your defense?" the old rat asked to his eldest son.

Leo raised himself but remained on his knees and stared into his father's eyes. "I was just trying to help, Sensei. She… she missed her dad and… I thought I…I… " he trailed off, slowly looking at the dojo mats below him, unable to excuse himself.

Master Splinter took a few deep breaths through his nose to calm himself enough to speak. "You have disappointed me more than I ever thought possible, Leonardo. Therefore you will be harshly punished until we know of the result of your plan. I shall put you through pain endurance until we know how Who-san is."

Leo nodded. "Yes Sensei."

"As for you, Donatello, you are not to enter your laboratory for a month."

Don's eyes widened. "A month!?"

"Do you want it to be two?" the rat asked, arching a brow.

"N-no, Sensei."

"Good. You are dismissed."

Splinter left the dojo and returned to his room to continue his morning meditation, but he knew it would be impossible for him to focus right now. His usually level-headed sons had acted too rashly and what worried him the most was the consequences of their actions. He had worked hard to help the young girl restore her faith in friendship, to trust in society and trust in them, but now Splinter feared that after this _'betrayal'_, the young girl would close her heart once again. She may very well turn it into a cold, unfeeling stone, just as it was when they first met her.

…

* * *

"Thank you and please come again!" April said to her customer with a bright smile.

Sundays weren't exactly days off for her and Casey; the antiques' demand had increased so suddenly and so fast that they had to work when they were supposed to be resting. It didn't matter, though; some extra money was always welcome.

And apparently so was the unexpected company.

April raised her head at the sound of the tiny bell ringing once the door opened. She immediately recognized the dark hooded feminine figure entering to her shop.

"Whoey?"

The dark haired girl managed to give one step forward before her knees buckled and she fell on them, panting and grabbing her chest with one hand.

Alarmed, April jumped up over the counter and knelt beside her. "My… you're shivering. What happened? Are you ok?"

Who nodded and licked her dry lips to moisture them. "Would you mind if I stay here for a few days?" she asked.

"Of course not, but why? What's wrong?" April insisted.

The girl sighed and looked at her with slightly wet eyes. "It's a long story."

A couple of hours later and after checking Who's blood pressure, both girls were sitting side by side on the big living room couch. Once she heard Who's story about what had just happened back at the lair, April, though a little bit shocked, tried to find the best explanation for all this and somehow excuse her friends' actions.

"Look, I know you're pretty upset right now but don't you think you're overreacting? I mean, you _did _have a great time with your dad last night, right?" April said.

"Well, I _was_ happy before I discovered that my ex-friend and my ex-best friend, who _stole_ my laptop and hacked its password, _violating _my privacy and _killing _my trust, were the ones who brought him here!" Who said, tightening the grip on her cup of tea.

"Who, I'm not trying to defend anyone here. Just try to be reasonable- you're mad for no reason! Sure, Leo's way of doing things was not the right one but we all know he cares a lot about you and his main intentions were good. He wasn't trying to hurt you," April tried to reason with the dark haired girl.

Who placed her cup on the coffee table in order to hug a nearby pillow. "Then why do I feel like I've been stabbed in the back?"

April noticed the girl was shaking and holding back her tears; they weren't just tears of sorrow but tears of anger and disappointment as well.

The red haired woman sighed. "So, what are you going do with your dad now?"

"He's not guilty of what Leonardo and Donatello did so… I'll just spend time with him to make up for the two years I didn't see him, and after the Phantom's premiere, he'll be gone and I'll return to my normal life," Who said calmly. "And I'm probably gonna start looking for an apartment."

April blinked. "Say what?"

"I can't live with the enemy under the same roof, April."

"But they're not your enemies!" April replied.

"In my books, someone who betrays my trust becomes a certified enemy and those two are in that list," Who replied back, stood up and walked towards the door. "Anyway, I'm gonna go out for a walk. If they call, don't answer."

"While you're outside, maybe you-"

"-I won't reconsider, April. My decisions are laws I don't have any problem with obeying!" Who stated firmly.

"Just try. Please."

The dark haired girl stared into the pleading green eyes and sighed. "I can't promise anything."


	13. Chapter 13

People came and went through the streets of New York, all of them too focused in their little words to even notice the troubled dark haired girl who walked among them. Even though the moon had already made its appearance, Who still wandered around trying to forget the worst Sunday of her life without success. Then again, a long time was needed to completely forget a betrayal.

She played absentmindedly with her yin-yang pendant. The pendant that one day Leonardo had given to her as symbol of their unbreakable bond and trust in each other was now just merely a piece of jewelry with no meaning. Who looked at it and a sudden urge to pull it off and throw it into the garbage can invaded her but she quickly got rid of those feelings, masking her rage with sadness instead.

The girl continued walking, stopping in front of the Radio Music Hall; strangely, her steps had taken her right to that place. She sighed and turned around just in time to face Cécil Dubois.

"You shouldn't be walking alone, _Mademoiselle_. New York is a very dangerous place, especially in the dark of night."

"Is it just me or do you have a habit of appearing in every place I go?" Who asked arching a brow.

"A most pleasant coincidence," Dubois chuckled, then sobering after noticing the girl's grim face. "Are you alright? You are not smiling, that is not good at all."

Who shrugged. "It's nothing. Just… stuff."

Cécil hmmed. "Pardon my audacity but… would you let me invite you to have a drink or some kind? Tea, coffee or wine perhaps?"

The girl thought for a moment. "Actually… wine _does_ sound good right now."

Dubois smiled and walked beside the girl to the nearest restaurant. Because of Dubois' insistent questions about her current sad mood, Who had to repeat the whole story to him, obviously omitting a few parts.

"And that's the whole story. I hope I didn't kill you of boredom."

"Not at all. On the contrary, makes me want to have this… Leonardo… in front of me and have a serious talk with him," Cécil replied with a serious face. "What he did was so despicable! Why, if I were in his place, I would not_ ever_ lie to someone so precious to me." He ended taking Who's hand on his in an elegant way.

The girl slowly pulled back her hand. "You French all this flirtatious or am I just lucky?"

Dubois chuckled and Who allow herself to smile a little. Then she caught a glance of a small artifact resting on the table.

"Cool pocket watch," she said.

"This old trinket? Oh, it is nothing special," Dubois replied and gave her the small artifact.

She analyzed its exterior and admired the design but when she opened it, her face paled notoriously. Inside it, there was a picture of a young girl just like her.

Dubois grinned. "The resemblance is quite _incroyable, _don't you think?"

"Is she your girlfriend?" Who asked hesitantly.

"Fiancée, actually. Or at least… she used to be."

The dark haired girl stopped fiddling with the pocket watch and looked at Cécil whose features had changed from happy to sad in the blink of an eye. He sighed and took the pocket watch from Who's hands, staring at the picture inside it.

"Her name was _Clémentine; _she was a young, gifted soprano, the most talented in all of France. I was a pianist and tenor in training and I had heard about her, but it was in a recital when we first met."

Images of those past days came to Cécil's mind: his days as pianist apprentice and the first time he saw Clémentine. The young woman had grace, elegancy and beauty; her pale face with rosy cheeks, dark eyes and long dark hair along with her beautiful voice had captivated Cécil's heart. More flashbacks showed Clémentine and Cécil smiling at sheepishly at each other before and after their first concert together.

That night, in the celebration reunion, the young duo spent the whole night talking to each other, dancing, laughing and never letting go of each other. The world around them was meaningless; all that mattered was the company of the other.

"Her family and mine belonged to the highest society in Paris, so as soon as they knew about our mutual feelings, they arranged our betrothal," Dubois continued. "We were about to be wed at the end of October but fate… well, fate had other plans for us. We had a concert the day before our marriage. A concert that changed our lives forever."

The next sequence of flashbacks was barely appreciable; there was fire, people screaming and running, Clémentine's voice calling out for Cécil in a desperate plea and Cécil's heartrending scream.

"I lost her that tragic night, and after that I abandoned music completely and did not sing or play the piano for a long time."

By the end of his story, Dubois' eyes were flooded with unshed tears. Who was moved by the story too; she couldn't believe this usually easygoing man had suffered such horrible loss. Maybe that was the reason of his weird behavior; maybe it was a way to mask his pain like she did sometimes.

"I'm so sorry, Cécil. I… I don't know what to-"

Dubois held up his hand, stopping the girl's speech. "Don't, please. The past is where it has to be. Now, after all those years, I have found inspiration again to play my beloved piano, to sing all existent songs and compose new ones." He smiled. "All thanks to you."

"But I didn't do anything," Who replied looking at him wryly.

Cécil raised his glass of red wine and smirked. "But you will, _cher_. You will."

…

* * *

A final hard punch to the battered bag concluded Leonardo's extra training session. The blue-clad ninja panted heavily and his legs were shaky, as were his arms. His entire body screamed in pain and that was good; he had accomplished his punishment successfully.

He caught a glance of Raphael out of the corner of his eye and, true to form, the dark green turtle was leaning against the wall and twirling his sai skillfully while grinning.

"If you came to laugh at me, do it!" Leo panted. "It's not like I care anymore."

"Uh~ Someone's in a bad mood."

Leonardo decided to ignore his immediate sibling and sat on the dojo mats in a meditative pose thinking maybe Raphael would get bored and leave the sword wielder alone with his thoughts. Little did he know that Raphael was not planning on leaving him any time soon.

"I called April earlier. Your girl is staying with her."

Leo sighed in annoyance. "For the last time, she's not-"

"-I know. I just like to tease you," Raph chuckled. "Wanna go talk to her and beg forgiveness?"

The sword wielder narrowed eyes. "If you didn't notice, I'm being punished."

"If you didn't notice, I don't care!" the sai wielder replied. "Now, get your ass off the floor and put in on the bike. We're leaving," he said while tossing Leo his helmet.

Raph was surprised to see Leo didn't catch it and simply let it roll on the floor.

"Didn't you hear me? I said we're going out!"

"I heard you loud and clear but I'm not interested. Thanks anyway," Leo said trying to focus on his meditation once again.

Raph forced out a laugh. "_Not interested?_ I'm actually trying to be nice and help you fix _YOUR_ mess and you're _not interested_?!"

"She won't listen to me. I know. So why waste my time?" Leo replied with a shrug.

"Ok, who the fuck are you and what have you done with my brother Leonardo?" Raph growled. "Cuz the pathetic excuse for a turtle I'm talking to right now can't be him."

A moment of silence passed between the brothers and then Leo spoke first. "If you're done yelling, then please… leave me alone."

Poor sword wielder sounded so broken, so defeated. It made Raphael feel kinda bad but didn't show it.

"So you ain't gonna do anything but sit there moping till the end of time?"

Silence was all he got from Leonardo, just silence and nothing more. The red-clad ninja gritted his teeth in anger. "Whatever! Next time, don't even think about asking for my help, you damn coward!" He yelled and fled outside the dojo.

Raphael couldn't understand why Leonardo had given up the fight so easily. Sure Who was pretty thickheaded but that didn't mean she didn't have a sensible heart. He also didn't know the reason behind his urge to help his eldest brother, when before he'd been very clear that he would not help Leo make peace with Who seeing as he had gotten into the mess himself. But none of that mattered now; if Leonardo didn't want to accept the help… then screw him.

The ringtone from his shell cell interrupted Raph from his thoughts.

He answered carelessly. "What."

"_Raph, is Who there with you?" _April asked.

"No, I thought you said she was with _you,_" Raph replied.

"_Well, she hasn't come back all day and it's getting pretty late. Do you have any idea where could she be right now?"_

The red-clad ninja opened his mouth to answer… then, closed it. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I think so. I'll call you back when I find her."

"Something wrong with Who?" Don's voice came from behind.

Raph turned around and saw his genius brother hiding behind a brick pylon; Don had been listening to his hotheaded brother since the dojo, apparently.

"She's missing," Raph answered.

"I can help you track her," Don suggested.

"You can't go to your lab, remember?"

"But _you_ can," Don pointed out.

Raphael laughed. "Lil' Donnie is being bad boy twice in a day? You're on a roll, man."

"Just help me out with this; I need to see her so I can apologize," Don explained. "I just can't stand the guilt!"

The sai wielder sighed. "Alright but if Splinter finds out, you're going down alone"

…

* * *

"I don't think we should be here"

Who looked around her, nervously playing with a strand of her long hair. After dinner, she hoped Dubois would take her home but somehow, he had managed to convince her to go to the Radio Music Hall and practice.

"Relax. Danny gave me the keys so whenever I wanted to come here and practice, I could just do it," Cécil said calmly.

"Are you sure?" Who insisted.

Dubois put the record on and walked towards the girl taking both her hands on his. "Just follow my lead and let music do the rest."

The orchestra in the recording had already played their part. Now it was Cécil's time to shine.

"_Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation  
Darkness wakes and stirs imagination  
Silently the senses abandon their defenses  
Helpless to resist the notes I write  
For I compose the music of the night…"_

Dubois let go of her and began to pace; his voice was deep, strong yet delicate. _  
_  
_"Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendor  
Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender…"_

Cécil approached Who and caressed her hair, then her face. His hands felt unnaturally cold but this didn't bother the girl too much.

_"…Hearing is believing  
Music is deceiving  
Hard as lightning, soft as candle light  
Dare you trust the music of the night…"_

The tenor walked away and continued._ "Close your eyes for your eyes will only tell the truth  
And the truth isn't what you want to see  
In the dark it is easy to pretend…  
That the truth is what it ought to be..."_

The air got colder and colder, the lights flickered twice and then a cold soft breeze touched Who's face.

_"Softly, deftly, music shall caress you  
Hear it, feel it, secretly possess you  
Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind  
In this darkness which you know you cannot fight  
The darkness of the music of the night…_

_Close your eyes start a journey through a strange, new world  
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before…"_

This time Cécil's voice sounded demanding, like he had just given her an order. His penetrating gaze had Who completely hypnotized but a part of her was still resisting. What the heck had she gotten herself into?

_"Close your eyes and let music set you free…"_

The tenorclosed the gap between them, his arms around the girl's waist. "…_Only then can you belong… to me…"_

Who decided she had had enough, this was way more than just acting; but when she was about to push him away, she found out that she couldn't move. Her eyes stared at the tenor in an odd state of trance, the rest of her limbs completely frozen.

"_Floating, falling, sweet intoxication…"_

She started to panic when Cécil's hand grabbed hers and placed it on his face. _"… Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation…"_

Who felt her soul come back to her body the moment he broke apart from her.

_"…Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in  
To the power of the music that I write  
The power of the music of the night!"_

Who's eyes caught glance of something moving behind Dubois and for the first time in those long five minutes, she moved. Her head quickly turned to the place where she saw the weird dark shadow and then, just like that, the girl from the picture in Cécil's pocket watch materialized in the shadow. Who gasped at the sight before the world began to spin around and fade into darkness.

Cécil caught the girl before she hit the ground and carried her in his arms before gently placing her on the wooden floor. He smiled sweetly at the feminine silhouette standing in the shadows and then at the unconscious girl.

"_You alone can make my song take flight  
Help me make the music of the… night."_


	14. Chapter 14

_**A few minutes earlier…**_

…

Going out without Splinter noticing was actually not as hard as Don expected it to be. He had gone to bed early and not even the sound of Mikey's videogames had woke him up; then again, the fact that he wore earplugs for situations like that was an added bonus.

With Raph's help, Don could sneak into his beloved lab and grab the equipment they would need. It felt really good to be surrounded by technology again but he didn't have time to enjoy it. However, if his plan worked, he'd be back in his lab again and then he'd have all the time in the world to hug each one of his_ 'babies'._

The next barrier was Michelangelo, but he was too focused in his games to even care what happened behind him. However, Donatello left a note in the fridge for him just in case. The final barrier to conquest was Leonardo. Luckily, when Raph and Don got outside the lab, they saw Leonardo walking upstairs and locking himself in his room for the night.

The turtle siblings couldn't believe their luck; with Mikey distracted, no Sensei and no Leonardo around to stop them from going outside, they would have more than enough time to find the dark haired girl.

After disguising themselves in their human attires, they headed for the garage and took Raph's bike despite Don's rebuttals about not wanting to go in it with Raph as the driver. It only took a whack upside the head to convince the genius to hop in and shut up.

Now, tracking down Who was a piece of cake. The real problem was to get inside where she was.

"Isn't this place supposed to be closed at this hour?" Raph said. He was as surprised as Don was to find out their human friend was inside the Radio Music Hall at midnight. "Are you sure your tracker thingy ain't broken or something?"

"I assure you this baby has never let me down," Don replied. "Who is in there. We just have to figure out how to get inside without setting off the alarms."

Raphael walked towards the front of the building and absentmindedly pushed the entrance door. He jumped back when the glass doors opened.

"How about we use the front door?"

Don turned around and frowned. "This is odd."

Both turtles walked inside the building in complete darkness, which wasn't a problem thanks to their night vision goggles. Suddenly, Donatello stopped in his tracks and gave a silent order to Raph to do the same.

"Did you hear that?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"Hear what?" Raph asked back. His question was answered by Cécil's voice coming from the stage room.

He sneaked inside and his eyes widened in shock. "What the-"

Cécil was crouched down beside an unconscious girl lying in the wooden floor. Raphael quickly recognized the girl as Who and growled in anger. Donatello, who had been following his brother, gasped at the sight. Giving each other a glance and a curt nod, both ninjas ran towards the scenario.

The sai wielder jumped up the platform and kicked a very surprised Cécil away from Who's body.

"Get away from her!"

"She's out cold!" Don said after checking Who's condition. "What did you do to her?"

Raph grabbed Cécil by the neck and pinned him to the wall. "You better start talking, fancy pants, or imma get angrier and angrier and you won't like it!"

"What's going on here?" Who's voice came from behind. Don almost jumped back when he saw the girl standing up calmly.

"Raph, what do you think you're doing?!" the girl yelled and looked at Don, frowning in anger. "And what are_ you_ doing here?!"

"Are you ok?" Don asked in concern.

"Of course I'm ok! Now let him go, Raph!"

Reluctantly, the sai wielder released Dubois' neck and dropped him carelessly onto the floor. Who sprinted to Cécil's side, helping him to sit down properly.

"You're not hurt, are you?" she asked. Then she glanced at Raphael. "You could've hurt him!"

"Do not be so harsh on them; they were just concerned," Cécil said looking at Don and Raph. "I assure you, _Messieurs_, she is in good hands."

"Good hands or not, she's coming with us!" With that said, Raphael picked the girl up and put her over his shoulder.

"HEY! LET ME GO!" Who yelled, kicking like crazy and punching Raph's shell.

"Raph, I don't think that's necessary," Don intervened.

"Shut it, Brainiac!" Raph replied while he walked away with the girl still struggling to get down.

Cécil, who had finally gotten over the shock, looked at the _'intruders'_ taking Who away from him and gritted his teeth. He punched the wall hard enough to make his knuckles bleed; a dark feminine silhouette placed her hand on top of Cécil's shoulder making him look at her.

"Next time she won't escape, _cher_. I promise."

…

* * *

"PUT ME DOWN AT ONCE! I'M SERIOUS, RAPH!"

Who couldn't recall how long she had been shouting but one thing was for sure- she was getting tired. So far, the only thing she had managed to do was to whack Raph upside the head a few times and kick his chin, which only made him pinch the back of her thigh hard enough to leave a bruise. This had infuriated the girl more. Don observed them in silence; he was surprised Raph hadn't lost it after hearing the colorful curses Who yelled at him.

The genius preferred not to interfere or articulate words. Who was mad enough and his presence sure wasn't appreciated; the dirty look she had given him in the theater was proof of that. However, the purple-clad ninja hoped she would listen to him and accept his apology.

A few hours later, the turtles and the girl finally arrived to April's place – the roof, to be precise. Raph put the girl down, trying to control the urge to throw her off the building instead.

"Now, explain! What happened back there?!" Raph asked demandingly.

"It's none of your business!" Who yelled.

"I won't ask you nicely next time, what were you doing with that creep?" Raph insisted.

"We were just practicing! That part is the Phantom's solo. And I was '_unconscious' _because in the play _'Christine'_ faints!" Who explained.

"She's right," Don agreed. Raph narrowed his eyes at his genius brother and lifted a fist threateningly.

"You have your stupid explanation. Now, leave me alone!" The girl dusted her pants and began to walk towards the fire escape ladder. Don followed her close.

"Whoey, about what happened at the lair-" he started but Who interrupted him abruptly.

"-I don't want to talk about it, Donatello."

"Please, just hear me out… ok?"

The girl stopped on her tracks and sighed loudly. Folding her arms against her chest, she turned around to face Donatello. "Go on."

"I'm sorry. I understand you're mad but we weren't trying to hurt you. Believe me! Leo did wrong. I agree. And it was a stupid move from me to help him. I know! We should have, at least, asked for your permission or something…but you can't blame us _or_ hate us for what we did. Especially Leo."

"Why not?"

Don smiled. "Because he did it for _you. _He knew you'd be happy to see someone dear to you and all he cares for is your happiness. No matter what it takes."

Who didn't know how to reply back to that; what Don said was true. Leo didn't mean to hurt her and neither did Don. Too bad she was too proud to admit it openly.

"You and your brother hurt me. _Badly_. And healing takes time. However, I appreciate that you came to apologize. Wish Leonardo would've done the same."

"So… you're not mad at me anymore?"

"You may have not regained my trust completely but that can change with time. And no, I'm not mad at you anymore."

After this, the girl surprised Don with a hug which was gladly returned.

"Well, this is very touching but we better go back," Raph said, interrupting the moment much to Don's dismay. "It's late and I don't want Leo bitching out on me."

With a last _'good bye' _hug, Donatello left the roof; he sighed in relief knowing he would sleep guilt-free tonight. Who was about to enter April's apartment through the window when she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Raphael.

"One more thing. Keep your eyes open when you're with that Dubois guy. I don't trust him and neither should you," he warned her.

"I know he's odd but he's not bad," Who said with a shrug.

"That's what Leo thought of the Shredder the first time they met. Think about it."

Raphael was gone right after that, hoping his words hadn't fallen on deaf ears. Who wasn't stupid but she could be naïve sometimes.

…

* * *

_**Three weeks later.**_

…

Three long and busy weeks had passed. Things with Leonardo had gone from bad to worse and until he apologized, Who was not going back. During that time, Who and Cécil had some time to get to know each other better, despite Raph's initial warning. Sure Dubois was a little weird, but who wasn't nowadays?

With those thoughts in her head, she left the scenario; it was at that moment she saw Frida. Sheepishly, Who walked towards her. "Hey! Uh… good to see you back," she greeted her.

"Yeah… thanks," Frida said, a bit surprised her rival was being this nice with her.

"How's your dad?"

"Fine. Left the hospital this morning."

Who smiled. "That's good. Have they found whoever tried to kill him?"

Frida sighed. "Not a clue… but Dad told me it was a girl who attacked him."

"A girl? Does he know her from somewhere?"

"He said she had long dark hair, dark eyes and was wearing a black thorn dress. And she looked, like, dead or something," Frida chuckled. "The things morphine does to people… crazy, huh?"

Who hmmed. "I've heard you're good at drawing. Why don't you ask your dad the description of the girl and draw it so I can investigate?"

Frida looked at her wryly. "Why would I do that? And why would _you _help _me_, anyway?"

Who rubbed the back of her neck. "I have… friends… that could locate whoever did this to your dad."

Frida thought about Who's idea for a moment; it was the craziest, most absurd idea she'd ever heard… and she liked it.

"You have some paper?"

Who quickly opened her bag and gave Frida a white sheet and a pencil; Higgins grabbed the items and ran outside the room. Who decided to sit down and wait for her, but found herself repeating Frida's words in her head. Could it be possible that Frederick was actually attacked by a ghost?

"Splendid performance,_ cher,_" Cécil's sudden arrival interrupted Who's train of thought.

"It was nothing," she shrugged off the compliment.

"Do not be so modest. You really outdid yourself this time!"

"Good practice everyone! Tomorrow is dress rehearsal day so I want you all here at 7 am!" Evans announced.

Who groaned; she was definitely not a morning person and she was dead tired from all the intense rehearsals, but with the big day just around the corner, she understood the practice was very much needed.

"Oh, that reminds me," said Dubois pulling out a small box. "You should wear this for tomorrow's rehearsal. It will suit you much better than that… old pendant… not worthy of your beauty."

The girl took the box hesitantly and opened it; its content made her gasp. Inside it, there was a white gold teardrop diamond necklace.

"This is beautiful! I… I can't accept it, I just can't!"

Cécil chuckled. "Please, I insist. You must have the best of the best." With that said, he removed Who's yin-yang pendant replacing it with the diamond necklace.

"Thank you," Who said blushing. "You've been so nice to me. I don't think I deserve any of this after how cold I was when I first met you; I should've given myself a chance to know you better."

"That can be solved," Dubois said giving the girl a small card. "It is the address of the place I'm staying here in New York," he explained. "I was hoping you could come see me one of these days before I go back to Paris."

Who grabbed the card and smiled. "I'll think about it."

Cécil smiled back. "Good. Now, please excuse me. I need to talk to Evans before he leaves." Taking Who's hand on his, he raised it to his lips and kissed it. "_Au revoir._"

While Dubois walked away from her, Who watched him and sighed dreamily when he turned around and gave her a smile. She smiled back and felt her face heat up. Her fantasy world soon vanished upon Frida's sudden return.

"I must be outta my mind for doing this but… here." The redheaded girl held up the paper with the drawing.

After giving a quick glance at the drawing, Who's face paled; the picture showed a taller and ghostly version of herself.

"What's wrong?" Frida asked, noticing Who's breathing had fastened.

"N-nothing," the girl lied. "I… I gotta go home now."

Who ran away from Frida and ignored her friends' voices calling her. Things had just gotten weirder and weirder; she needed answers quickly and there was only one person who could help her. Well, turtle, actually. She was just reaching the door when Raphael entered. Who didn't have time to evade him so, unfortunately, she ran straight into him, shrieking in panic.

"Calm down! It's just me!" Raph said. "You ok? You look like you saw a ghost or something."

"Is Don with you?" Who asked.

"Splinter decided to lift his punishment when he knew you two were at peace again. Since then, he hasn't left his lab," Raph explained. "Why?"

"I need to talk to him immediately."

"I can take you to the lair," Raph offered.

Who sighed. "You know I can't-"

"-It's been three weeks! You can't abandon your home just because of something Fearless did!" Raph said angrily. "And what the hell is this?" he asked demandingly while tugging the necklace.

"Don't touch it!" Who hissed slapping Raph's hand away.

"That French freak gave this to you, didn't he?"

"So what if he did! And his name is Cécil"

"Are you fucking serious? That guy is a creep, you said it!" Raph yelled.

The girl huffed. "Listen, I just need to talk to Don, ok? And I don't exactly need your help to contact him!" Swiftly turning around, she ran toward the exit and abandoned the place.

"You must stop bothering her."

Dubois' voice came from behind the red-clad ninja who slowly turned around, his hands curling into fists.

"Listen, you _asshole_, I don't need _you_ to tell _me_ what I must do with my sister," Raph growled. "But hear me: if you do something to her, if you touch even a _single _strand of her hair, consider yourself dead!"

The ninja was gone right after sending his deadly threat to Cécil. The latter felt a well known cold breeze touch his ear and smiled.

"Follow him,_ mon amour,_ and do whatever you little heart desires with that worthless annoyance."

Raph was more than furious, he was in _"Raph-mode"_ when he left the theater; he hadn't felt this way since he saw Karai stab his brother. And Cécil was the one to blame.

He had somehow bewitched Who, turning her into a brainless, Cécil-adoring girl. Now instead of staying away from Cécil, like Raph had told her, she was defending him, protecting him from the Hamatos' wrath! Particularly his.

He shook his head; if only Leonardo knew his lady-friend was starting to lose it. If only.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of giggling. "Who, is that you?"

His question wasn't answered but the giggling continued and started to fade away. Raph noticed movement in the next tunnel and followed it. The more he followed the shadows, the louder the giggling was. And the colder the air felt.

"Who, quit playing around!" Raph yelled. A few tunnels more and the ninja found himself in a dead end.

He was about to turn back on his steps when everything went silent. Not even the sound of the sewer water could be heard. The air was freezing cold at this point and it was slightly affecting Raph's systems. The ninja gave a few steps toward the tunnel's exit but a loud screeching sound stopped him.

"O…k? That didn't sound like Who"

Raph pulled out his sais and looked at his surroundings the best he could in this pitch black tunnel. Suddenly, he felt a tug on his belt; he spun around, sais slashing at whatever that might have been around him.

"SHOW YOURSELF!" the red-clad ninja yelled.

A cold breeze hit the back of his neck, sending shivers down his spine. Amber eyes moved rapidly from side to side; up and down in fast motion, but there was no one to be seen. A bit reluctantly, Raphael placed his sais back to his belt; the sound of metal hitting water made him frown. He tried to find the hilt of his sais but he discovered they weren't there and his belt was missing; his weapons had fallen directly into the puddle of water below him.

Raph kneeled to pick them up. The cold breeze hit his face full-force and then something tightened around his neck. He gasped and tried to grab the sharp blades, but an unnaturally strong force pinned him to the wall, the pressure on his neck never ceasing. The lack of air made the dark green turtle panic; he felt his eyes trying to jump out of their orbs.

Raphael was dying slowly of asphyxia; his vision was blurry and his moves slow but he still heard the sound of a girl giggling in delight. In a last attempt to save himself, Raph pulled out his shell cell and hit the speed dial.

"Hello?" Leonardo's voice came from the other side of the line. Raph tried to talk but the lack of air was unbearable; his lips were moving but not a single word came from him.

"Hello? Raph, are you there?" Leo insisted, his voice oozing concern.

"L…L-e…"

The shaky dark green muscled arm fell, together with the leather belt and shell cell, beside Raphael's unmoving body while the faint sound of Leo's voice calling for his brother echoed in the dark and cold sewer tunnel.

"RAPH! RAPH, ANSWER ME! ARE YOU OK? RAPH!"


	15. Chapter 15

"When is he gonna wake up?"

"Mikey, be quiet!"

"But Leo, I'm tired of waiting!"

"Mikey, for crying out loud! Raph will wake up when he's ready."

Raphael's body screamed in pain but mostly his throat. He didn't have any idea where he was or even if he was alive but the intense pain reminded him that would he be dead, he wouldn't be feeling like crap. The hushed voices from his brothers were waking him up, pulling him back to the living world and making his eyes flutter.

"Donnie, I think I just saw him trying to blink! Check him out, please!" Mikey insisted, a bit louder this time.

Don sighed and approached the cot where his hot headed sibling lied. In effect, Raph was trying to fight the heaviness of his eyelids, moving his head to the side and grunting in pain.

"Raph? It's me, Donnie. Can you hear me?"

In that moment, Raphael opened his eyes; his gaze landing in his genius' brother's purple mask. Then, he looked around him and noticed Don's gadgets and "doctor stuff"; he was in Donatello's medical bay, which meant he was in the lair, safe and sound. His brothers had rescued him in time.

"Raphie, Raphie! How many fingers am I holding up?" Mikey said loudly, almost shoving his hand in Raph's face.

"Where am I?" Raph asked; his voice raspy and his neck hurting. "Why does my throat feel like shit?"

"Because it was constricted till the point of strangulation" Don explained. "If we hadn't found you in time, you'd be dead right now."

"Which brings up the question: who attacked you?" Leo intervened.

"I can't remember much," Raph answered with a sigh.

"It's ok, you were out for a few hours so-"

"-No wait," the red-clad ninja interrupted Don. "I do remember something, but you guys won't believe me"

"C'mon bro, you can tell us!" Mikey encouraged him. "It can't be that bad, can it?"

Raph took a deep breath and sat up with Mikey's help before talking. "I was walking through the tunnels when I felt someone watching me. Then I heard a voice; I thought it was Who so I followed it through another tunnel section. I reached a dead end and then something attacked me from the shadows! I couldn't see very well but judging by the sounds and more freaky stuff, I think it was…"

"It was… what?" Leo asked.

"Call me crazy… but I… I think it was a girl. And not any kind of girl; this looked like… a ghost!"

Mikey blinked. "You kidding us, right?"

"No, I swear!" Raph replied. "I tried to free myself from whatever it was choking me but then I was pulled to the wall! I clearly heard someone giggling behind me and before I passed out I saw her passing through the freaking walls!"

"I don't know about you guys but I think Raphie has brain damage or something," Mikey chuckled.

"It's the truth! Leo, Donnie, you gotta believe me!"

The brothers stared at each other; Raph's story was too odd to be truth but then again, they had experienced lots of odd things in their lives.

Donatello went to his desk and rummaged through the papers. "What did she look like?" He asked.

"Donnie, you can't be serious about this," Mikey objected. "I know we've seen tons of things in the past, but ghosts?"

"Did she look like this?" This time, Don came to Raph with the drawing of a girl.

The sai wielder just needed one glance to know this was the picture of his attacker. "Yes! It looked exactly like her!"

"Donnie, where did you get that from?" Leo asked taking the paper from Raph to analyze it himself.

"Who sent it to me a few hours ago. This was the girl who attacked Mr. Higgins, the main sponsor of the Halloween's play," Don explained.

Mikey snatched the paper from Leo's hands and gasped. "Dudes, I don't know if you noticed but she looks a lot like Whoey!"

Leo turned his attention to Raph. "What happened before you were attacked? Where were you?"

"In the theater. Had to go pick up Who."

"Did something weird happen there?"

"Well… I kinda had a discussion with this Cécil guy," Raph growled after mentioning the so hated name. "Son of a bitch told me to stay away from Who, can you believe it?"

Leo hmmed and then turned to Mikey. "You were there the day Who almost got crushed by those sand bags. What happened next?"

"Daddy Higgins was pissed and I think he didn't like Cécil so much," the youngest answered.

"And he got attacked the same day," Leo concluded.

"So, you think everything that's happened so far is Cécil's doing?" Don asked.

"That doesn't explain the ghost, though," Raph replied.

"No. I'm saying that everyone who's been with that guy has ended up hurt or half dead."

"Still doesn't explain the ghost, Leo," Mikey pointed out.

"Enough with the ghost!" the eldest yelled. "Where is Who now?"

"At April's. I already told her what happened to Raph and it was then that she sent me the drawing."

Don hadn't even finished his statement when Leonardo grabbed his swords and some spare clothes the genius turtle had in his lab for emergencies and quick runs to the surface.

"Where are you going?" Mikey asked.

"I must warn her. I have a bad feeling about Cécil," Leo said while he finished dressing up.

"And you think she'll be waiting for you with open arms after three weeks of not giving a damn about her?" Raph pointed out.

Leonardo stiffened and turned around facing his brother. "Raph, don't make me regret having saved your sorry ass."

The blue-clad ninja didn't care about the loud gasps from his two youngest siblings and Raph's shocked gaze; he needed to leave now. He ran towards the elevator door and disappeared inside. Back in the infirmary, Don and Mikey stood there, gawking at their eldest brother's reaction; it wasn't that they weren't allowed to curse, they _did_ curse. Raph did it almost all the time.

But curses were something that didn't come from Leonardo Hamato's mouth.

"Leo just cursed?" Mikey asked still in shock.

Don nodded. "Leo just cursed."

"Ain't a big surprise."

The resident genius looked at Raph quizzically. "How so?"

"He knows what I said is true," Raph commented. "Who ain't exactly gonna be too happy to see him. I mean, the guy hasn't even gone to see her practicing these three weeks. How do you think she'll react?"

"But… she forgave me when I talked to her," Don replied. "Maybe she's not so mad now"

"You took a big risk that night and you got your reward. But he didn't even try," Raph said firmly. "I wanted to help him but he refused. Now it's _Leo's_ problem if she wants to see him or not."

The room went silent after Raph was done talking. Donatello silently hoped Who was in a good enough mood to see his brother; this stupid argument of theirs had to stop once and for all, and if it was up to Leo to fix things, then he better do it- and fast. They would all need to work together as a team if they were to investigate this paranormal activity.

…

* * *

A constant tapping at her window alerted April of unexpected visitors. Well, not exactly unexpected. She had gotten used to the turtles' nightly visits.

"Hi Leo. What's up? Long time no see," April welcomed the ninja.

"Hey April, sorry for coming here without calling. Hope I didn't wake you up or anything."

"Oh, I just got up for a nightly snack. I know I'm on a diet but… that chocolate cake Mikey brought me is irresistible!"

Leo chuckled. "Is Who awake? I must talk to her. It's very important."

"She just went to bed; poor girl was exhausted. But if you want you can come tomorrow."

The sword wielder sighed; there was no way to know whether April had been given instructions to make up a excuse in Who's behalf or what she said was the truth. However, he decided to give April the benefit of the doubt and believe her statement.

"It's ok, April," Who's voice surprised both Leo and April.

"Whoey! I thought you were sleeping," April said.

"It's my insomnia. It's acting up again," Who explained. "Could you leave us alone, please?"

The redheaded woman felt tension the moment Who entered the room; she left quickly and silently, wishing those two could solve their differences peacefully.

Back in the living room, Who's stern facial expression matched his rigid pose, folded arms and mild frown. "Took you long enough to come and apologize. You should learn from Donnie, he came the very same day. Not three weeks later."

Leonardo's jaw clenched; there were so many things he wanted to tell her, so many lectures he had in reserve for her for being so foolish, stupidly proud and somehow childish. Yet, he had to fight his inner self and calm down. This was not the moment for another argument.

"Look, I just came to warn you: what happened to Higgins and Raph could happen to you, so if you know what's good for you, stay away from Cécil. He is dangerous!"

Who closed her eyes and her frown deepened. She turned around giving Leo a full view of her back and braided long hair.

"Get the hell out of here," she hissed.

Leo approached her, touching her shoulder. "Who, listen-"

"-No, _you_ listen!" Who yelled, swiftly turning around and stepping back from the ninja. "I was hoping you would come and at least say_ 'I'm sorry' _for what you did to me; _instead_ you come here and… and _order_ me something out of jealousy? What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"_Jealousy_? I'm just trying to protect you!" Leo yelled back.

The shining jewel in the girl's neck caught his attention and his eyes widened in horror. He'd seen it before. "That necklace… it's like…"

"Oh, so you noticed my new friend's gift," Who smirked darkly.

Leo frowned. "Your what?! You call that creep a _friend_?!"

"Yes, yes I do! And I don't need protection, especially from a jerk like you!"

That did it. There was no way Leo could reason with a lost mind, blinded by rage. "FINE! YOU WANNA GET YOURSELF KILLED? THAT'S ALRIGHT WITH ME!"

April, who had been listening from her room, gasped in loudly. She couldn't believe Leonardo had said such things. She was about to go back to the living room, interfere and maybe fix things up a bit but what Who said next was the drop that spilled the cup.

"GREAT! THE THORN IN YOUR SIDE WILL BE FINALLY GONE! AND HERE'S YOUR STUPID PENDANT!" Pulling out the yin-yang pendant, she threw it at Leonardo's chest. "Cécil was right… I deserve better!"

With a last deadly glare, both girl and ninja parted ways. Only April noticed the single tear rolling down the girl's face as she walked back to her room.

If only she had interfered….

…

* * *

Meanwhile, inside her room, Who roughly wiped the tear from her face and sat heavily on the soft bed. Who the heck needed Leo anyways?! She certainly didn't, but still… he didn't need to be so harsh. Then again, she had treated him coldly first.

But she was a girl! She had been taught women in general should never be yelled at, it was impolite and insensible; also, a true respectable gentleman would never raise his voice at a girl.

Screw Leonardo, then. She didn't deserve to be treated that way and she certainly had more friends to talk to. Picking up her phone, she dialed the number in the small card Dubois had given to her that morning and waited.

The phone ran twice before Cécil finally picked up. "Hello? Cécil?"

"_Chérie! What a pleasure it is to hear your voice. What is the reason for your unexpected yet lovely call?"_

"I… I wanted to… I needed to talk to someone."

"_I thought, perhaps, you would choose your other friends over me," _Cécil pointed out.

"I don't think they're awake right now."

"_And you thought I would be because?"_

"Oh! You were sleeping? I'm so sorry! I'll just-"

"_-I was just teasing."_

Who laughed. "You're so weird."

Cécil chuckled. _"You have no idea."_

"So, this must sound crazy but… can I go to your place right now? I feel like I could use more practice for our next part," the girl requested hesitantly.

"_It is dangerous to go out this late at night, ma chère! Give me your address and I'll come for you."_

She smiled. "Perfect. Just locate the 2nd Time Around Antique's Shop."

"_One more thing."_

"What is it?"

"_Did you get my package?"_

"Yes." Who eyed the white box at the side of her bed. She had gotten it that morning with April's mail but didn't have enough time to check what was inside.

"_Open it."_

Who did as she was told; a long, elegant black dress made the girl gasp in astonishment."Cécil, you really shouldn't have. This is so beautiful!"

"_It was all my pleasure. Now, get ready, cher."_

"Alright. See you in a bit!" The girl hung up the phone and ran towards the bathroom with the dress.

Things were looking good for the young soprano. But soon she would learn that all that glitters is not gold, and not everyone is a true friend.


	16. Chapter 16

Leo suddenly didn't feel like using the rooftops in his way back home; the dark streets and alleys of New York had a bunch of things he could kick while he walked… and that included criminals. He was so damn angry after his discussion with Who that he was desperately in need of a good fight.

"_Ok, you have the wallet. Now, leave me alone!"_

That was just what the doctor ordered.

The voices coming from the next alley indicating a robbery in progress. Leo sneaked behind the dumpster just like a true ninja master; in effect, a couple of young Purple Dragons had cornered a man with held their chains and crowbars in their hands.

"No can do, man. You see, we can't let you live now otherwise you'll call the cops" The one in the green hair said, twirling his crowbar.

He charged fully force at the civilian who skillfully dodged to the side and elbowed the punk's back hard, making him crash his face against the wall.

"Not bad for an old man!" The thug with black and red hair exclaimed.

The man grabbed the Purple Dragon's chain and pulled it hard; the thug lost his balance and tripped. Then, the man grabbed him by the shirt and threw him inside the trash container where Leo was hidden.

Leonardo was impressed. This man maybe wasn't a professional fighter but he had guts and some deceiving techniques. The civilian knelt down to pick up his wallet, oblivious of the danger behind him. The green haired Purple Dragon came from behind aiming a gun at the man's head.

"LOOK OUT!" Leo yelled jumping out of his hide out. He threw a shuriken at the PD's gun; the latter shrieked like a girl and ran away from the place, his partner in crime following him right behind.

"Are you alright, sir?" Leo asked.

"Better than ever, kid."

When the man came out to the light, the ninja gasped. "You're Who's dad!"

"Dr. D, at your orders. And you are?"

"Leonardo," The disguised turtle said shaking hands with Dr. D.

"Oh, you must be that famous Leonardo my princess talks about all the time. You know, your clothing makes you look very much like Mikey, my daughter's fashion advisor" Dr. D commented.

"Er… I think that's my brother" Leo replied, trying to choke back a laugh. "Listen, it's been a pleasure but you better get back home soon; if you'd like I could walk you to your place."

Dr. D nodded. "Very well. And if you don't mind, I would like to know a little more about you. Not that I don't trust you, of course, but you know how parents are"

Leo smiled. "Sure"

They began to walk through more transited streets, avoiding criminal activity at all costs. Dr. D had told the young ninja about his life, his family, his job and even how he arrived to New York though this last information just reminded Leo of his argument with Who a few hours ago. Now he revealed to him all his life, the sword wielder had to do the same.

"So, Leonardo, where did you meet my daughter?"

"We… uh… we went to the same… er… the same karate school! Yes, that's it" Leo lied, hoping Dr. D hadn't noticed his nervous stuttering.

Luckily, he didn't. Instead, he smiled proudly. "So, one of her biggest dreams came true. My wife never let her sign up for karate classes; she said it was _barbaric_ and not proper of a lady." He, then, laughed. "_Ph-lease~_ Lady or not, learning to fight is essential, especially in a world like this."

"Well, then I'm glad to let you know she's one of the best fighters I've ever seen," Leonardo said. "Our Sensei described her as graceful, cunning and sometimes deadly."

"That's my little, wild angel! Just like her daddy!" Dr. D cheered loudly.

People around them stared at the overexcited man and the odd dressed guy with him. Leo blushed in embarrassment and thanked Heaven Splinter wasn't like this.

"Alright, back to you: do you have any brothers, other than Mikey?"

"Two more, actually. Raphael and Donatello. Michelangelo is the youngest"

"A houseful of boys, huh? My wife and I were all into girls and that's where my precious gems came from." Dr. D said with a soft smile. "Anyway, where do you study?"

"We were homeschooled by our sen- uh… Father"

"Interesting. Where do you live?"

Leo stiffened. "I would rather not answer that question, Doctor. It's just… my father has this policy about letting people know where we live"

"I understand. He must be a very protective father" Dr. D smiled sympathetically. "And if he's like that, I don't even want to think about how your mother is" He joked.

"Actually, we were adopted," Leo replied.

"Oh" Dr. D's smile vanished. "Sorry, I… I didn't… man, I feel stupid"

Leo chuckled. "Please, don't. It's not a big deal; Father is been great with us; raised us up since we were just babies and even now we're teens, he makes sure we're ok… just like if he was our real dad. "

"Your family, the way you describe it, they sound like good people and you are truly a nice guy. Now I understand why my daughter talks so much about you"

The ninja blinked. "She does?"

"She's all: Leo this, Leo that, Leo, Leo… etc. If I didn't know her well I'd say she likes you!" Dr. D laughed but his happiness was brief. His features changed and soon he was frowning in worry.

"But these past three weeks she's mentioned you two got into a very bad fight. She didn't say much but she was really sad and was hoping you two could make peace soon. I told her she should put that stupid pride of hers behind so she could forget and forgive… but… knowing her, I'm sure she won't do that"

Leo sighed deeply. "I just went to her apartment and tried to talk to her but she won't listen"

Dr. D arched a brow. "And did you try to _apologize_? Like, _truly_ apologize?"

The sword wielder froze. No, he hadn't gone to apologize; the warning was something out of concern but what it really matter was the apology and he had forgotten about it or simply didn't feel like it was necessary. Now he realized the magnitude of the hurtful things what he had told –no– _yelled _at her.

"It's not too late to set things right, Leonardo" Dr. D said calmly, placing a comforting hand on the ninja's shoulder. "I know my little girl better than anyone and let me tell you something: she can't hate those ones she truly_ loves_. And I really think you are part of those ones" He said in a fatherly tone.

The turtle smiled. If what his doctor friend said was truth, then things were not that lost yet.

…

* * *

Cécil arrived to April's antique shop where he found Who; she was wearing the black dress and the diamond pendant, both Cécil's gifts. He grinned, feasting his eyes with the girl's beauty; she was perfect for his plan, perfect indeed. She silently joined Cécil into his car and in silence remained the whole way till Dubois' residence.

"Your sadness intrigues me. Dare I ask who is responsible for it?" Cécil asked, consumed by curiosity. The girl didn't say a word.

"Is that Leonardo you have been talking about who hurt your precious heart?"

At the sound of that name, Who flinched. Cécil noticed that and growled in anger, cursing Leonardo in his mind.

"Well, no matter. Let us not think about him now" With that said, Cécil pulled over in front of a pale grey house, taller than trees, wider than a forest; with detailed statues and flowers everywhere.

Dubois opened the passenger's door and took Who's hand. She looked around and gawked at the magnificent fortress. Then Cécil opened the big, wooden doors.

"Welcome to my humble house"

Who couldn't stop admiring and walking around the place like a little girl in a toy store. "It' so elegant! I've never seen anything like it And… you live alone here?"

Cécil chuckled. "I am never alone, cher"

"Everything here is worth a fortune!" Who exclaimed.

"Only the best enters the Dubois' household. Including you"

The girl blushed and lowered her gaze. "I bet you say that to every girl you know"

Cécil came close to her and placing his hand under her chin, he tilted her face up. He smiled and closed the gap between them a little more till he could feel Who's breath against his face.

"Only you have that privilege" He whispered.

Who gave a step back from Cécil and cleared her throat, her face as red as a tomato. "We should start practicing"

Cécil smiled; the words he had been waiting to hear had been said. There was no going back now.

"As you wish"

…

* * *

_**2**__**nd**__** Time Around-Antique Shop**_

_**11:40 pm**_

…

April hadn't been able to fall asleep after Leo and Who's argument. She sat on the couch, zapping channels with a coffee mug in her hand; more than once she had knocked at Who's door but after not getting an answer, she concluded she had fallen asleep and it was better not to disturb her. Again, the tap at her window caught her attention and she was not surprised to see the blue-clad ninja outside. She opened and let him in but kept her firm posture; if he had come to apologize then it was ok but if he had come to ask her for help then she would give him a piece of her mind.

"Hey April. I was wondering if I could talk to Who… again"

"Talk? Or have another yelling contest" April replied, her arms folded.

Leo sighed. "I'm a stupid, I know. I shouldn't have said those things to her but this time I came to truly apologize like Who deserves"

April smiled, unfolded her arms and patted her friend's shell. "I'll go get her"

Leo waited patiently in the living room, repeating the apology in his mind.

"She's not here!" April yelled. Leo bolted to where she was and saw his redheaded friend looking at the empty bed in shock.

Leo's eyes, then, landed on a box and a letter. He read it and with the swiftness only a ninja possesses, he left April's apartment and ran through the rooftops dialing Michelangelo's number.

"Mikey? Tell Don to track my signal, get the BattleShell ready and pick me up. Who has gone to Dubois' place!"

…

* * *

The golden ballroom, the candlelit chandelier, the music … it was simply the perfect place for a rehearsal. The perfect place for a deadly trap.

When the time came, Who drew in a breath and began to sing.

"_In sleep he sang to me, _

_in dreams he came_

_That voice which calls to me _

_and speaks my name._

_And do I dream again, for now I find,_

_The Phantom of the Opera is there, inside my mind…"_

Cécil looked at her movements, so graceful, so delicate. So passionate and seductive. Taking Who's hands in his, he pulled her close to him.

"_Sing once again with me, _

_our strange duet;_

_my power over you _

_grows stronger yet…"_

A cold breeze hit Who's face, making her look away from Cécil's eyes. He delicately turned her face back to stare into those dark eyes.

"_And though you turn from me to glance behind_

_The Phantom of the Opera is there, inside your mind…" _

Who, feeling Cécil's hands running through her slender figure, pulled away from him; she looked back into his eyes, his hungry gaze was making her nervous. Yet she continued to play along.

"_Those who have seen your face, draw back in fear._

_I am the mask you wear…"_

"_It's me they hear…" _Cécil sang right behind Who.

The girl almost jumped in fear; she hadn't noticed when Cécil had moved. She wanted to run away but something stopped her, just like that time in the theater.

"_My/Your spirit and my/your voice in one combined._

_The Phantom of the Opera is there, inside my/your mind…"_

After both soprano and tenor sang their part, Cécil let go of her. He may have not satisfied his human needs with Who but at least he had felt her body and her breath against him. That was enough for now; soon, he and his resurrected Clémentine would consume their love after all those years. He glanced at the table in the corner where the weapon rested and smirked evilly. Just a few more minutes.

Who felt clearly how the room got colder and colder; why wasn't she running? Why wasn't she screaming? What had paralyzed her again? She didn't have time to answer any of that; Cécil was again behind her, his hands on her hips going up to her waist.

"_In all your fantasies _

_you always knew,_

_that man and mystery…"_

"…_were both in you…" _Who sang, strangely leaning closer to Cécil's body.

Cécil had a brief moment to sniff Who's hair before joining his voice to hers in the final verses.

"_And in this labyrinth where night is blind,_

_The Phantom of the Opera is here/there, inside my/your mind…"_

While Who began to wail, Cécil walked stealthily towards the wooden table.

"Sing, my angel of music" He hissed, approaching to the shiny blade that waited for him.

The girl continued wailing, her eyes closed; oblivious of the danger behind her. Cécil had finally grabbed the silver handle of the dagger and walked towards Who.

"Sing, sing for me! My angel!" He repeated, using a commanding tone. _'You shall live, Clémentine! The time has come!'_

The lights flickered rapidly; the dark feminine silhouette now joined Cécil whose smile turned maniacal. Ghost and man were now behind the innocent victim, waiting for the moment to give the mortal blow.

Who reached the highest note. It was now or never.

"SING FOR ME!"

Just when Cécil was about to plunge the blade into soft flesh, the girl turned around. Cécil's eyes widened and the ghost beside him gave a loud scream before vanishing.

"Clémentine?!" He managed to say before dropping the blade.

The lights stopped flickering, the music stopped and the coldness was no longer felt. Cécil blinked a couple of times and saw Who again, staring at him curiously.

"Are you alright, Cécil? You froze all of the sudden"

Before he could answer, his phone rang. It was Evans. "Looks like we are not the only ones awake past midnight. We better take a few minutes to rest; you can go take a look at the house, cher"

Who smiled and left the ballroom, not noticing the shadow following her close, the silver dagger in its ghostly hands.

…

* * *

The beauty of the architecture was breathtaking and so was the interior decoration; it had a bit of a Renaissance aura with some touches of ancient France. Needless to say, Who was enjoying every square inch of the mansion.

The next room was locked but Who's curiosity impulsed her to find the key that, luckily, was located inside a flower vase. Once inside, the lights turned on by their own, revealing a room full of pictures.

The first ones showed Cécil playing the piano with Clémentine in various scenarios all over the world. Cécil wasn't exaggerating when he said she was beautiful. The fact that she looked exactly like Who was a bit disturbing but it's said that everyone in the world has a "lost twin".

The next section showed pictures of Clémentine next to the Eiffel Tower, in the Louvre, drinking wine in a glamorous restaurant and singing with a long, elegant black dress; in her neck, a diamond pendant shinning with the spotlights' light.

That picture made Who feel uneasy. The dress and the jewel… could be that just a coincidence?

The next pictures were more recent and showed…

"… This is weird."

The girl in that picture looked almost like the Clémentine and Who. Now that was an oddity.

"Claudette LeClaire," Who read the name scripted in the frame's foot. "Didn't know Cécil had another girl. But why didn't he mention her? All he'd been talking about was Clémentine"

There were more pictures of LeClaire but not as much as Clémentine's. The last of them showed Claudette in a concert room, her arms high in the air, her eyes closed and her mouth opened like she was singing an extremely high note; her long and curly dark hair was tied up in a ponytail, adorned with a golden tiara. She wore a black dress and a diamond pendant that looked very familiar.

Who frowned; three girls that looked the same, wearing the same black dresses and using the same diamond pendant? This was way too much coincidence. The next picture was new it showed a life sized girl wearing the same and… everything was so familiar again.

Who leaned closer, her hand felt the cold surface of the picture frame but this was no picture. It was a mirror.

…

* * *

…

**A/N: **Yes, Christine's high notes in _"The Phantom of the Opera" _are considered "wails".


	17. Chapter 17

The dark haired girl looked at her and compared herself with the previous girls from the pictures: Clémentine and Claudette. Something Who had in mind was the fact that there were no more photos after the girls used that dress and that necklace. It was like that had been their last performances and then just vanished.

The young soprano, shocked by her discovery, walked back with one thing in mind: leave Dubois' house and never come back. She was about to reach the door when the same slammed shut in front of her nose.

She saw something shiny approaching her but dodged it when she saw it was a dagger. The offending object landed right in the middle of the mirror, shattering it. While Who looked at the mess, a pained, scandalous wail filled the room.

"That didn't sound human" Who exclaimed.

Then, she saw clearly how pieces of the broken glass floated in the air; the tips pointing at her direction. She dodged the incoming shards of glass, forced open the door in order to exit and ran downstairs. The ghostly apparition began to follow her still holding the silver dagger.

"_This way!" _A whispered voice called the dark haired girl from a large corridor.

Who turned around and jumped back, tripping with a Ming vase and landing painfully on her butt.

"You're… Clémentine?"

"_How do you know my name?"_

"How do _you_ know my name? And how are we even talking? You're supposed to be _dead!_" Who replied, shakily standing up. "Wait… you are one behind Higgins' attack!"

The ghost shook her head frenetically._ "Ce n'est pas moi! Take the notebook. Everything will be explained in there" _

Who followed the ghostly finger, it pointed at a small black notebook. Just as she took the item, a loud scream could be heard from behind; the shards of glass located Who and attacked. The girl barely dodged them, earning a few cuts; all of them, superficial.

"_She's getting closer! Leave now!" _

"How do I get out?" Who asked at the apparition before her eyes.

"_Follow me" _

Who and Clémentine's ghost ran through the corridors and stairs, evading the dark shadow that almost stepped on their heels. While they escaped, screams, wails and loud demonic noises echoed all over the place; objects moved and tried to attack the scared dark haired girl and the lights flickered rapidly till the point a few light bulbs exploded.

Who covered herself from the falling glasses using the notebook in her hands as shield but more than once she received cuts and blows in her body from floating books, small antiques and all kind of possessed objects.

Clémentine finally reached to the backyard door and with a wave of her hand, she left it opened for Who. The latter noticed the exit and ran faster but a painful stab in her chest paralyzed her and she fell hard to the ground.

At the sound of something falling, Clémentine glanced back._ "What are you doing? Get up! Allez!" _She yelled desperately.

Who dragged herself through the floor with her arms but the stab made her stop again. "M-my… chest… p-p…re-s… sure!" She stuttered, her breathing erratic.

Clémentine's ghostly eyes widened when she saw the shadow approaching Who with the dagger ready for the killing blow. She floated over Who and stood there protectively, the long white dress acting as a shield. The shadow growled at the sudden light coming from Clémentine and retreated.

Clémentine sighed in relief and knelt beside the unconscious girl. Voices coming from outside the backyard caught her attention and she smiled at the sight of four green creatures who searched for their missing friend.

"You sure this is the place?" Mikey asked pointing his flashlight at every bush in his way.

Don sighed. "I don't know, the tracker stopped working two blocks away"

Leonardo looked at his surroundings carefully, trying not to miss a spot. It was then when he saw the soft glow coming from the backyard door.

"Guys, over here!"

Clémentine flew back to Who and knelt beside her once more. _"You'll be safe now"_ She whispered in her ear and then vanished.

By the time Clémentine disappeared, the Hamato brothers had arrived and found Who laying unconscious with several wounds in her body. Leonardo took her in his arms and with Don and Raph's help; he placed her on the cot in the back of the BattleShell.

…

* * *

The next morning, Who woke up in Don's infirmary; she had some bruises and cuts all over her body and she was a little disorientated. When the turtles asked her about what happened to her, the memory of a shadow chasing her and wanting to kill her came to her mind but she didn't mention anything, not even her encounter with the ghost that claimed to be the real Clémentine and after breakfast, she prepared herself to go to the theater despite Don's orders to stay in bed.

While she walked to the theater, a message made her change her route. It was her father who waited for her in the cafeteria where they saw each other the day he arrived to New York. Who felt a tense aura around him and when she kissed his cheek to greet him, the tension was very noticeable.

"So, why you called? Is something wrong?"

Dr. D sighed. "I've been thinking about the life style you have in this city and the things you've done. It's all been fun but it's time I go back where I belong and I hope you join me as well"

"I thought you said you were happy with the life I chose!" Who replied.

"I'd be happier if _my whole family_ was together; my three beautiful women sitting together by the table with this old man" Dr. D said calmly.

"Dad, I'll die if you make me go back!"

"Stop speaking nonsense-"

"-no, YOU stop speaking nonsense!" Who rose from her seat like a spring.

Dr. D did the same. "Do not raise your voice at me!"

"You're talking just like that woman!"

"That woman is-!"

"-She wasn't a true mother when I needed her, Dad. And you know it!"

"Dear child, she has changed! And your sister misses you!"

"You're trying to excuse them so I go back to that hellish place you call home. You know what you should do? Stay with me instead!"

Dr. D shook his head. "My life is back there. Not here"

Who sighed and sat heavily in her chair. "When are you leaving?"

"October 31st"

"But dad, the concert-"

"-The flight is appointed for that day; I can't change that"

"You could just miss it!" Who rose from her seat again and grabbed her bag.

Dr. D placed his hand on top of Who's and looked at her pleadingly. "Love, please-"

"-no, it's alright." Who replied angrily, pulling back her hand. "You are probably missing your two beautiful women. I wish you good luck and safe journey. Farewell!"

Dr. D just stood there, looking how his beloved princess left him with a broken heart.

"My _three_ beautiful women," he whispered, a tear rolling down his face.

…

* * *

Practice didn't go well; Who was conscious of that. She had forgotten a few lines and she felt clumsy and tired. Evans suggested she should take the day off to recover, suggestion she gladly accepted. When Who was leaving the theater, she was intercepted by Cécil; he asked her about her sudden departure last night showing deep concern about the visible bruises in her arms.

Who made up an excuse to which Cécil smiled and gallantly, took her hand and kissed it sweetly.

"Next time, do not hesitate on interrupting me. If it's you who requires my attention then I will leave everything I'm doing immediately"

"Your words are truly enchanting. Clémentine must be pretty jealous now and I'd rather not infuriate her"

Cécil laughed. "You are quite funny. I assure you Clémentine won't mind. And just for the record, she likes you too"

Who took a deep breath and stepped back from Cécil. "You're a great friend, I reckon that. But you and I… we can't be toge-"

"-Come with me" Cécil said interrupting Who all of the sudden. "To Paris; leave this place! You shall have fame, power and the heart of a man who idolizes you"

Cécil pulled out a black box that protected a diamond ring. Before Who could give him an answer…

"PHANTOM AND RAOUL! WE NEED YOU ON STAGE, IMMEDIATELY!"

Placing the box in her hands, Cécil leaned forward and kissed Who's cheek. "Think about it"

The girl stood frozen by the exit door. When she woke up that morning, she certainly didn't have a marriage proposal in mind. On the other hand, this was just the escape route she needed; the final escape from her family, from her past, from her pain.

Who looked at the box in her hands and sighed. "Time to talk to Master Splinter"

…

* * *

Leo stretched his arms after a long meditation session; it was the only thing that kept him calm after Who's departure that morning. Yet, he couldn't get rid of the images from last night: Don's tracker failing to get Who's cell phone's signal, the arrival to Cécil's backyard, the mysterious glow and Who's unconscious, bruised body lying on the grass.

Too many weird things had happened lately and Leo knew they would continue to happen if they didn't translate the journal Who had in her grasp when they found her.

Donatello had been working overtime, pushing his projects aside in order to get as much information as he could; using several translation programs and such. However, his progress was slow and there was insufficient data about Clémentine Rousseau and Claudette LeClaire.

The lair's doors opened; Who had returned. Things between Leo and Who had calmed down a little bit but the ninja still felt he had to apologize.

He left the dojo in order to talk to Who but as soon as she entered the turtle's home, she headed right to Splinter's room.

Curious, he followed her and stood outside; trying to listen to their conversation through the shoji's thin surface.

"Sneaking up on people's conversations, Leo?" Raph's sudden appearance startled the sword wielder.

"If Who is talking to Splinter, then something really bad must've happened," Leo replied.

"You know what _you _should be doing? Preparing an apology"

"I already worked on that. Once she's done talking to Sensei, I'll talk to her"

Raph smirked. "Good. I was getting sick of your boyfriend-girlfriend stupid argument"

Gritting his teeth in anger, Leo glared at his hotheaded sibling."She. Is. Not. My. GIRLFRIEND!

Raph quietly laughed at him and left his brother to his business.

"… _I really don't know what to do, Master. I'm so confused"_

At the sound of Who's voice, Leo pressed his ear to the shoji. Meanwhile, the girl knelt in front of Splinter, head bowed and hands resting in her lap.

"My dad says it's time for the family to reunite and be at peace once and for all… meaning I'd have to leave New York, and start a new life in my country. And then, there's Cécil's proposition. It sounds so tempting; not the marriage part, of course, but if I go to Paris I could become a great soprano under his tutoring! Besides, now my dad knows where I'm living, he'd come here almost every year and try to convince me and next time, he could bring my mom! My life here would be hell!"

Splinter's tail swatted back and forth. "So, you think your life in Paris would be much better, do you not?"

"I don't want to leave New York but things will get worse if I stay!" Who replied. "What must I do, Sensei?"

"The decision lies on you, Who-san"

The girl looked up to Splinter. "What if I make the wrong decision?"

Splinter rose from his spot while stroking his long beard. "There is no such thing as a definite right or wrong; only time can show you the results. But you must know this: it is more honorable to face the past rather than running away from it. The more you continue to escape from your problems, the more your problems will follow you; soon there will be no place for you to go and your soul will never be at peace. Do you understand, young woman?"

Sighing deeply, Who nodded. "Hai, Sensei"


	18. Chapter 18

Two days left before the big day when the young soprano known as "Who" would make her debut with the most important pianist and tenor in all France and everyone was already making their commentaries, both humans… _**and**_ turtles.

But not everything was smiles in Who's life. She had to make a crucial decision: stay in New York or go to Paris… with Cécil.

All those things suddenly made the lair look like a not very inspiring environment; she left the turtles' home and made her way to the nearest rooftop. Even though she wouldn't be going too far away from the lair, she was still a little hesitant to be out in the open after all the mysterious and odd disappearances of her comrades back in the theater. She was also a bit freaked out by Cécil's weird behavior towards her.

A few minutes later, she arrived to a rooftop near April's antique shop and prepared herself for lone rehearsals. The background music coming from the stereo took over Who's whole being and she let her mind wander in time and space and take her to a different era where she was dressed as an elegant XIX century lady, singing for a whole crowd of Lords and Ladies, Kings and Queens… in resume, she pictured herself as _Christine_.

While she sang, a figure in the shadows crept closer and closer to her, stealthy and carefully, very silently; as silent as a ghost.

Meanwhile, Who's dark eyes closed in deep focusing, each note she sang brought amazing images to her mind. But all of the sudden, those marvelous images were somehow tainted with brief apparitions of Cécil; his slate-gray eyes staring at her with something more than just admiration… was it desire? Was it… _lust_?

A cold shiver down her spine made Who stop. She pressed the pause button and turned around; she saw nothing but she still felt someone was watching her.

Who sat in the edge of the roof and sighed. "Relax, girl. Stop being so damn paranoid!"

"Why did you stop?" Said a voice behind her, a voice she knew pretty well.

"Oh, hi Leo" The blue-clad ninja must have been following her since she left the lair, Who assumed.

"Practicing for the musical?"

She nodded. Leonardo sat beside her and sighed. "Listen, about those things I said at April's-"

"All forgiven, let's move on. Shall we?"

Leo blinked. "But I thought-"

"- We were both wrong and said stupid things," Who replied. "I'm not mad at you anymore and neither should you. So can we please forget all that?"

Both girl and turtle stayed in silence before the latter spoke again. "Is there something else troubling you?"

Who sighed. "I can't seem to capture _"Christine's"_ essence. In the musical, this is a romantic moment between Raoul and Christine… or at least it's supposed to be that way" Who explained "The soprano must sing sweetly and must give the impression that she's…"

"In love?" Leo finished the statement.

"Yeah, that"

"Well, your voice sounds just fine. Heck! Erase that: your voice is perfect!"

"Thank you… but, personally, I don't think likewise" Who said sadly. "I only have two days and I'm still having troubles with this part!"

"Didn't you rehearse with Cécil?"

"I have. But I can't _'feel the love'_ when he's around."

Leo tensed a little. "Is he still flirting with you?"

Who noticed the ninja's tense muscles and the frown on his face; she knew Leo didn't like Dubois since the moment they first met… and she couldn't blame him; if Leo had a bad feeling about someone, then he had to be right. But on the other hand, this could be also a case of jealousy.

"Well? Is he?"

Who hesitated but finally decided to answer. "Sorta"

"He didn't ask you to marry him by any chance?"

"So you were eavesdropping after all. Splinter noticed but I didn't want to believe him," the girl chuckled. However, Leo's frown deepened.

"Do you feel something for him? Cécil, I mean"

The girl tilted her head to the side. "He's a great musician- I won't deny -and he makes a perfect Phantom, as you've seen in our rehearsals"

"Yet you don't feel comfortable with him."

Who sighed heavily; her blue-clad friend was clearly showing signs of jealousy, not simply brotherly concern. "Leo…"

"If I was in your place, I should have left this whole Halloween concert thing"

"How can you say such a thing!" Who exclaimed in shock, "You know how much I love this musical!"

"Or maybe you're just attracted to something else from it… or _someone_"

Leo's venomous words made Who's blood boil; the young turtle was playing with fire… and he would get burn pretty soon if he didn't shut up.

"Seriously?! You think I'm _attracted _to him?!"

"If you're not then why you don't leave him?" Leo asked in a demanding tone. She stood up and walked away from her spot in the edge of the roof.

Leo followed her and grabbed her arm. "Answer me!"

Who pulled her arm free from Leo's grip. "This _**isn't**_ about Cécil! I just can't leave the musical! You'd probably understand that if you truly knew me!"

"Don't give me that; you know I know you enough, Who!"

"THEN WHY ARE YOU FORBIDING ME TO DO SOMETHING I LOVE? YOU'RE NOT MY FATHER!" Who yelled in anger.

"NO, I'M NOT! BUT I DON'T TRUST THAT GUY AND I WON'T STAND SEEING YOU GET HURT BECAUSE OF HIM! GET IT?!" Leo yelled back while grabbing the girl by her shoulders.

Both Leonardo and Who frowned in anger, their eyes locked and narrowed; their breathing fast and steady. They remained like this until Leo's grip on Who's shoulders slowly loosened after a couple of minutes; their breathing slowed down and the frowns in both faces disappeared.

The blue-clad ninja finally released his dark haired girl and sighed heavily, walking away from her and towards the edge of the roof again, looking at the streets below him. He had never _ever_ lost control of his temper… what would Who think of him now? Forbidding her to sing in the musical… how he could've possibly said that! Leonardo felt like the biggest jerk on Earth.

Meanwhile, Who stared blankly at the nothingness, hugging the musical scores against her chest; no matter what Leo said, she would never abandon the musical… _her dreamed musical_. She was right; he wasn't her father, he wasn't even a true family member and most importantly: she was old enough to know what it was good for her and he had no right to tell her what to do. Yet… she understood Leo's concern and secretly thanked him.

"I know you've been dreaming to be part of that musical…" Leo said, breaking the uncomfortable silence between them "…and you're right: I can't stop you from doing something you love, Who. I'm just concerned, that's all"

Who sighed and walked towards Leo, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. "I know you are and… I'm sorry for being so rude"

Leo shook his head. "No, _I'm _sorry for acting so stupidly; I shouldn't have said those things. If you and Cécil have to keep working on this together, then I'm ok with that. Just let me know if he keeps bothering you"

_Cécil_… with only hear that name, Who's head began to ache more than usual. "Maybe we should stop talking about him for now"

Leo nodded. "Alright"

The young ninja looked at his friend rub her temples, an action she only did when she was utterly stressed. He hated seeing her like this; that musical was supposed to be her passion and it appeared that it was slowly consuming her. In all his adventures, he had never ever encountered a professional musician so…what could he do to help? Sadly, he couldn't think of any possible solutions.

"I'm sorry I'm not much of a help on this matter, one-chan"

Who gave the blue-clad ninja a sad smile, trying to cheer him and herself up; Leo returned the smile more brightly before turning his attention to the papers on Who's hands. The sword wielder caught a glance of the lyrics of the song and hummed certain parts, he _**did**_ recognize the song; he remembered he had heard it in the movie version of the original Phantom of the Opera's musical one night April was chosen to pick the flick for movie night.

The guys had fallen asleep after the first 15 minutes but Leo remained awake, most of the songs had caught his attention and the _Raoul & Christine's_ duet was one of them.

After noticing her friend was humming most of the song perfectly, and idea came across Who's mind. "Say Leo, have you ever sung something in your life? Anything!"

"Uhmm… Christmas carols, I guess? And those songs you were teaching me in our guitar lessons" Leo answered. "Why?"

"Maybe you can help me after all" Who said with a knowing smile.

Leo stared at her in confusion as she walked towards the stereo; it was then when he understood what it was about to happen. Who pressed the _"play"_ button and grabbed both Leo's hands guiding him to the center of the improvised scenario.

"Who, wait! I… I don't know. I just can't…"

"C'mon, it'll be fun!" Who insisted "I'm sure you'd be a good Raoul!"

"If you need a Raoul then call the guy who's playing that role! Not me!"

"Leonardo… please"

The sound of the pleading voice made his heart hurt a little bit; he couldn't ignore his best friend's pleas… not now, not ever. Leo turned around and his brown eyes locked with Who's dark ones.

"Bro, seriously… I just need a tiny bit of your time and most importantly: your help… _that's all I ask of you_"

Leo couldn't help but laugh after Who sang that last part. "Alright, alright… but don't use your voice on me, you evil siren" he said giving Who a playful glare.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Who cheered happily. "This will take just a few minutes, I promise"

"Hey, before we start…you've worked with Donnie on these things-"

"-if by _things_ you mean _**'music'**_? Then the answer is yes, why you asking?"

"Well, why did you choose _me_ this time?"

Who smiled softly. "Because I feel more comfortable with you"

Leo's cheeks reddened; he cleared his throat and looked at the musical scores instead of Who's smile. "L-Let's begin, shall we?"

"Right… you first" Who chuckled.

While the music played, Leo mentally slammed his head against an imaginary wall repeatedly. He had no idea what he had just signed up for but there was no going back now, with good voice or not… he was stuck here.

Just when he was about to sing, the music suddenly stopped. Leo opened his eyes and noticed Who looking at him with a thoughtful expression on her face while she rubbed her chin.

"What, what is it?"

She stretched her hand towards him. "Give me those papers; we're going to do this the right way: with moves and facial expressions… everything! Like real actors!"

"But the lyrics…!"

"You know them already; don't think I wasn't hearing you humming" Who replied.

Leo sighed. "Fine"

Who took the papers and put them in the floor next to the stereo. "Now… let the music guide you and just be natural"

"Funny, I thought you said _you_ were having the same trouble" Leo grinned.

Who narrowed eyes. "Are you going to help me or criticize me?"

"You're funny when you get mad like that" Leo said trying not to laugh at his friend's distress but failing miserably.

"I'll show you funny if you keep at it!" Who growled, waving her fist in front of Leo's face. The blue-clad ninja raised both hands in surrender but didn't stop laughing.

The dark haired girl huffed in annoyance. "Whatever, now in the script says: _"Christine" is in a state a trance after telling "Raoul" of her brief meeting with the "Phantom". Then "Raoul" tries to comfort her; his eyes meet hers and the mood changes…_" she read "… and that's your cue! Questions?"

Leo shook his head. "Not for now… I'll do my best"

"Alright, from the beginning… and be natural so I can be natural too!" Who let the music play once again.

'_Well, here goes nothing' _Leo thought; he closed his eyes and began to sing.

"_No more talk __of darkness, _

_forget these wide-eyed fears.__  
__I'm here, nothing can harm you-_

_my words will warm and calm you" _

Leo approached closer to the girl and continued. _"Let me be your freedom, _

_let daylight dry your tears.__  
__I'm here, with you, beside you, _

_to guard you and to guide you . . ."_

Who turned around and stared deeply into the ninja's eyes. _"Say you love me every waking moment,_

_turn my head__with talk _

_of summertime . . . _

_Say you need me with you, now and always . . .__  
__promise me that all you say is true – _

_that's all I ask of you . . ."_

The sweet voice was like a soft caress; it was like nothing Leo had ever heard before. He didn't know if his presence had caused this drastic change but he didn't care; he didn't want this moment to stop.

He didn't want her to stop singing… to him.

Who turned around and began to walk away but a hand grabbing hers stopped her; that wasn't part of the script, she knew. She was about to reply but Leo continued singing his part.

"_Let me be__your shelter, _

_let me be your light…_

_You're safe, no one will find you; _

_your fears are far behind you…"_

Who was incredibly impressed; if Leo were human, he would make a good tenor; he had captured _"Raoul's"_ essence perfectly…maybe _too_ perfectly. She felt her face heating up the more Leo approached and the way those brown eyes looked at her- it felt very different from those looks Cécil gave her- she didn't feel strange or scared; instead, another feeling began to grow inside her.

Reluctantly, Who let go of Leo's hand and walked away. "_All I want is freedom, a world with no more night…_

_And you always beside me,_

_to hold me and to hide me…"__  
_

Leo walked behind her and encircled her waist with his strong arms, pulling her against him in a back-hug. "_Then say you'll share with__me one love, _

_one lifetime. _

_Let me lead you from your solitude…" _

Who's heart beat faster and faster; either Leo was a good actor or there was something else going on. She erased that last line from her mind; this was nothing more than a rehearsal, she thought, and she had asked him to be natural after all. With those thoughts in mind, she let _"Christine"_ be guided by _"Raoul". _

Leonardo turned her back to face him and let his right hand caress the long strands of Who's dark hair.

_"Say you need me with you here, beside you. _

_Anywhere you go, _

_let me go too…"_

He walked back one step, his cheeks slightly red. "…_that's all I ask __of you…"__  
_

Now it was Who's turn to walk towards him. Somehow, her body demanded Leo's presence; she needed to _feel_ him close to her. Another thing she noticed was that her voice sounded ten times sweeter than ever: it was the voice of a young girl in love.

Who's stepped forward and embraced Leonardo.

"S_ay you'll share with me one love, _

_one lifetime. _

_Say the word and I will follow you…"_

They pulled back from each other but remained in the other's arms. "_Share each day with__me, _

_each night, _

_each morning…"__  
_

Who leaned her head forward, resting her forehead against Leo's and closing her eyes. _"Say you love me"_

_"You know I do" _Leo sang in a soft whisper.

They stared into each other's eyes. _"Love me… that's all I ask… of you"_

The ending of the song was seconds away; both girl and turtle's faces were incredibly close to each other, their foggy breaths mixing with each other, their hearts beating unnaturally fast and their eyes slightly hooded. The sound of glass being broken and a loud "meow" interrupted their trance.

Who was the first to pull away from Leo; clearing her throat a couple of times, she tried not to look into his eyes again. The blue-clad ninja had frozen in place, his breathing uneven, his face burning and his heart beating so fast it felt like it wanted to escape from his chest.

"You… uh… you'd make a great Raoul. I was right after all" Who said breaking the uncomfortable silence.

At the sound of Who's voice, Leonardo came back to reality. "Thanks! And you're… y-you're an amazing Christine, I have to say" he stuttered.

"Y-you mean it?" Who's question was answered with an enthusiastic nod from Leo and a goofy smile on his face.

"Well, I… I… uh… thank you!" She was about to approach to the ninja in order to hug him as a sign of gratitude but she restrained herself from doing it. Instead, she turned around and picked her things.

"We should get back home now. It's starting to get cold"

Words seemed to have abandoned the sword wielder; he just looked at his dark haired friend move from one side to another collecting the items she had brought for her rehearsal. Leo clearly noticed that the reddish tone in Who's cheeks hadn't disappeared; on the contrary, it had reddened more and she was being oddly clumsy while trying to organize the papers.

Who turned to grab the last one, a soft breeze made the paper fly away from her. "Damn!" She ran after it and so did Leo.

"No, no! I got it, I got it!" Who said stopping Leo. "Just a few… inches… and…" Stretching her hand as far as she could, she finally caught it. "Voilá!"

It was then when Who noticed she was in the edge of the roof again and after looking down at the streets, she began to lose balance because of the sudden vertigo attack.

"Uhmm, Leo? Did I ever mention my slight fear of heights in occasions makes me get dizzy… LIKE RIGHT NOW?!"

"Don't move; I'm coming for you!" Leo ordered. "Try to not look down again!"

Who chuckled. "Believe me, that won't be a problem"

The blue-clad ninja crept stealthily close to the dark haired girl who waited patiently for her rescuer to get her out of this stupid mess she had gotten into. While she waited, she felt something really cold grab her ankle, making Who paralyze completely; just her eyes lowered slowly to take a look at whatever thing had taken possession of a small part of her leg. She saw something dark… like a small plastic bag that had wrapped around her ankle.

Leonardo finally reached her and stretched his hand; Who stretched hers as well but before she could even blink, he felt a hard tug on the ankle with the plastic bag that made her stumble.

"LEO!" she screamed in panic. The ninja grabbed the girl's jacket sleeves and pulled her against him; the sudden move made her fall forward and towards Leo's chestplate.

Both of them landed in the roof's floor rolling until they finally stopped; Leo moved on top of the girl using his shell as shield to protect her from any shuriken, dart or any other object. He suspected of Foot Ninjas in the area but after a quick inspection, he saw none.

"You ok?" Leo asked looking at the shaky girl beneath him.

"I felt a hand… I swear!" Who said in a panicked voice. "I felt a hand grab my ankle!"

"Calm down!"

"Someone wanted me to fall off the building and you're telling me to calm down?!"

"Yes" Leo simply answered.

"This is great… now I have people after me trying to kill me!" Who said almost yelling, her whole body shaking in fear.

Leo pressed a hand against her cheek. "Who, look at me"

The girl complied and looked into the ninja's brown eyes again, all her fears suddenly starting to fade away.

"Now, there's only one thing you must always remember: No one… NO ONE will hurt you as long as I'm here, ok?" Leo said calmly, his thumb stroking Who's cheek.

He had done this with his brothers to help soothe their panicked spirits when they had nightmares and he hoped it would have the same effect on Who. Fortunately, it was working; she had stopped shaking, but now this harmless gesture was causing a different effect on him.

"Leo… can you do me a favor, please?" Who asked.

"Of course" He said smiling softly "What is it?"

"Would you let me get up? This is… a little… uh… weird?"

The blue-clad ninja had been so focused on the task at hand that he had completely forgotten of the girl lying on the cold surface under his being, making this a _very_ compromising and awkward pose.

"S-sorry! Sorry!" Leo immediately got up and helped the girl to stand on her feet and as soon as she was up again; she grabbed her stuff and walked to the next fire escape ladder.

The only thought in Who's mind was to escape from that place, lock herself in her room and forget about all this. Forget about the song, the look on Leonardo's eyes… everything!

"Who, wait!" The ninja yelled.

That voice… that voice that now had control over her; she wanted to erase that voice from her memory so badly. She wanted to run but she couldn't; she stayed in place without turning around, the last thing she wanted now was to stare into those damned brown eyes.

"Yes?"

Again, words failed Leo. The turtle with the great speeches found himself unable to pick the right words, his brothers would probably laugh at him now if they could see him. He was glad Who didn't turn around; if words failed him now, it would've been worse with those dark eyes staring at him like wanting to read his soul.

"Great rehearsal" Leo finally said.

Who smiled to herself. "Thanks to you"

The dark haired girl reached the ladder and once down, she reached for the next manhole; Leonardo just stared at her until she finally disappeared into the sewers.

He let out a heavy sigh; _what had just happened?_ In what specific moment a simple rehearsal turned into… something else?

Well, nothing had really happened, Leo thought… but still… he felt something different. They had hugged each other, look at each other and did lots of things together but nothing could compare to what he felt tonight; he could still feel the silky texture of her hair in his fingertips, the softness of her skin while he caressed her face, her minty breathe on his face… and her voice… he had heard Who sing before but not like a few moments ago but what had made her improve so incredibly?

He had a theory in mind but he quickly discarded it. It had just been a great rehearsal. Nothing else.

Leonardo made his way to the same manhole Who had picked and disappeared inside it. Little did he know that someone had been watching the whole scene from the beginning and, unlike Leo and Who, was not pleased with this rehearsal.

* * *

…

…

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	19. Chapter 19

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, the big day is in tomorrow. I just want to say thank you all for your hard work and I must say it's been an honor to work with such great talents. And now, sappiness aside, we'll reunite here at 5 pm! No more, no less! Good afternoon, everyone!" Evans concluded.

People began to gather their costumes, instruments and music scores while the stagehands fixed the final touches on the scenario. Who waited for one of her turtle friends to pick her up standing by the exit door when Cécil approached her smiling gallantly.

"So, have you made your decision?"

Who turned around, facing him. "Yes. And the answer is no. I know opportunities in Paris are countless but my life is here. And I wouldn't change that for all the gold in the world"

Cécil frowned lightly. "You are making a big mistake, cher"

Who chuckled. "Believe me, this is the only thing I've done right in this month. And another thing, I want you to stop chasing me around like some kind of molester! I don't love you and don't need your especial attentions. I have people who _truly_ love me and they didn't need gifts to buy my love!"

With that said, Who threw the box with the diamond ring, the necklace and the dress at Cécil's feet. With a last smile, Who walked away from the shocked tenor. He followed Who and noticed a hooded figure entering the theater.

"Leo!" She cried out happily and ran towards him, almost tackling him to ground.

"Whoa! Someone's in a good mood today!" The ninja laughed.

Seeing that she didn't let go of him but instead, buried her head deeper into his chest, Leo pulled away reluctantly to stare into his friend's eyes.

"Hey, you alright?"

Who smiled widely. "I've never been better"

Leo smiled back and left the place with Who by his side. Cécil had observed everything and growled in anger; his fist hit the wall hard causing his knuckles to bleed. The shadow behind him caressed his wounded hand and placed a ghostly hand on his cheek.

"Follow them, cher, but do not hurt them." Cécil ordered. "_I_ want to be the one crushing Who's boyfriend's skull with my own hands"

…

* * *

_**Rooftops**_

_**10:30 pm**_

…

"So, you think he'll stop bothering you for good?" Leo asked.

The girl shrugged. "I don't know; we still have the concert tomorrow, we'll see each other, interact on stage and all that. Kinda impossible to ignore him"

"Too bad you can't find another Phantom by tomorrow," Leo mumbled.

Who giggled and rested her head in the ninja's shoulder. "You're cute when you're jealous"

"Aww, isn't this romantic?"

Mikey's voice made Leo and Who look back where they found three grinning ninjas standing a few steps away from them.

"Are we interrupting something?" Raph asked, smirking smugly at the startled couple.

"You bet we did! Didn't you hear what she said? Oh, Leo~ You're so cute~" Mikey teased, making a bad imitation of Who while batting his non-existent eyelashes.

Who shrugged off their teasing, stood up and walked to the turtles' direction. "What are you guys doing here?"

Don pulled a black notebook from his duffel bag. "The journal's translation is complete and there are some things you might find interesting"

Taking the item in her hands, she took a deep breath and opened it.

…

* * *

Lurking in the shadows, a dark presence sneaked into abandoned buildings, less transited streets and poorly illuminated alleys; wherever there was darkness, the shadow took refuge from the hellish sunlight and continued the search.

The devilish ghost Cécil had sent to follow Who and her companion had been tracking down their essence ever since they left the theater that morning and wherever the dark shadow went, Cécil followed it. However, at some point of the persecution, the shadow had lost their track. Needless to say, anger was consuming Cécil faster than a wildfire destroying a forest.

He was about to give up, he would deal with Who later; after all, it was her who he needed. Not her "guardian and protector". And just when Cécil began to walk back home, the shadow stopped him and guided him to a building they hadn't checked. It wasn't abandoned like the other ones but the essence here was stronger.

The shadow snaked her way up using the wall while Cécil took the stairs.

Once they reached the top, Cécil could not believe his eyes. Sitting beside Who, there were four green creatures. They seemed to be reading something, distracted and oblivious of his presence. The shadow then pointed at the creature in the blue mask and then the girl sitting close by his side; Cécil understood the ghost's signal: the blue-clad creature was the one called Leonardo, Who's protector and the reason of Who's negative answer back in the theater. He was the one interfering with his plans.

He had to be destroyed.

"No… no, he hasn't," Cécil said to himself. The shadow took its feminine ghostly form and stared questioningly at Cécil.

"I have a plan, ma chère. Trust me." The tenor smiled evilly and pulled out a cell phone from his jacket.

"Now she won't be able to say no again"

…

* * *

Most of the journal entries were all about Cécil's life, schedule, personal problems… in other words: non relevant information. But after hours of reading, the team had finally reached to the interesting part: Cécil and Clémentine's memories.

They now knew how, when and where had they met; their memories as boyfriend and girlfriend, concerts, arguments and finally: their engagement.

The entry Don was reading currently confirmed Cécil's tale about the last time he and Clémentine performed together.

'_Grégory has called today; he wants us to perform the day before our wedding, can you believe it? I know, it's unexpected and somehow unfair but fear not. This is the last concert and then we will celebrate as Mr. and Mrs. Dubois'_

"Mr. and Mrs. Dubois~ Pfff, talk about sappy" Mikey chuckled, earning a whack up the head from Don.

Don skipped to the next entry and hmmed. "Clémentine was against this concert yet Cécil didn't listen to her"

'_Why are you scared, my angel? I told you I would protect you! It's just a concert; nothing to be afraid of, my love. *sigh* Clémentine refuses to sing tomorrow; she claims something bad will happen. Perhaps she is nervous; yes, it must be'_

"The next day this is what happened," Don said pulling out a sheet with printed information from a French newspaper.

The main news told about how the theater, where Clémentine Rousseau and Cécil Dubois were performing, was set on fire by a pyromaniac. Many people left the theater with burns and some minor injuries, including Dubois, but Clémentine wasn't so lucky. The ropes that held the chandelier up in the ceiling caught fire and the young soprano was crushed under the golden artifact.

The next journal entry showed the rage and pain Cécil felt for the loss of his beloved.

'_Cursed me! Cursed me infinite times, cursed me! I should have listened to you, my love. I should have stopped everything! I'm sorry, my angel. I'm sorry! But I promise I will not rest until you are back, I promise!"_

"He stopped writing for a year." The resident genius informed, "Then, the entries continue"

'_I finally know how to bring you back, Clémentine. I have found the perfect body for you. I met a soprano a few weeks ago, Claudette LeClaire, she is perfect. Don't be jealous, I feel nothing for her; she is just our naïve pawn. Soon we won't need her anymore'_

Mikey's eyes widened in fear. "That's just sick, dudes" He said, tightening his grip on Raph's arm.

Don sighed. "It gets worse: _I have given her your precious diamond, Clémentine; and your beautiful black dress. But worry not; it is all part of the ritual. She won't need them where she is going. Tonight, after months of 'dating her', I will finally get rid of her and bring you back, my true love. My Clémentine"_

The Hamatos and Who were pretty spooked right now. Cécil was no common eccentric man, he was a lunatic!

"Are there any more entries?" Mikey asked, not really wanting to know more.

Don nodded. "_I can't believe the ritual didn't work! That useless whore! Forgive me, Clémentine. But I won't give up; I will find you another body, I will search everywhere! We will be together, Clémentine. Together forever, just like I promised"_

"So, that's would explain the gifts and the marriage proposal," Leo concluded. "It was all a trap."

"So, how are we supposed to stop that bastard from killing witch-girl here?" Raph asked.

"The Halloween musical is tomorrow; after that, he'll be gone forever," Who said. "He won't be able to hurt me so I think we should just keep calm and stop thinking about this mumbo jumbo"

The fact that Who wasn't worried about Cécil didn't ease the turtles' nerves. And she knew it. There had to be a way to distract their minds for a while and she got the perfect idea.

"Hey, it's not so late yet. How about you go get some Purple Dragons or Foot Ninjas while I go back to the lair?"

The ninjas seemed to like this and nodded in agreement. The ninjas abandoned the place and Who made her way to the nearest manhole. Little did she know that she was being observed and now, followed.

…

* * *

Walking through the sewer tunnels wasn't exactly something Who enjoyed; in fact, she was scared of doing it, especially alone. Creepy shadows and weird sounds didn't make her way to the lair very pleasant: weird sounds like the squeaking of the sewer rats, weird sounds like the constant drip from the pipes.

Weird sounds like the oddly familiar wails coming from one of the tunnels.

Who pulled out her cell phone and hit the emergency button and right after she put her cell phone back into her pocket, Cécil appeared with the demonic shadow by his side.

"Beautiful night to walk in the sewers. Don't you think, cher?" He said. "And where is your boyfriend? Did he leave you all alone?"

Who frowned. "I don't have a boyfriend and even if I had one… what do you care!"

"Oh, I care!" Laughing maniacally, Cécil showed her his cell phone. Who gasped in horror; Cécil knew about her friends… her family.

"Imagine the fortune I could make if I send these to the media. But I could… exchange them… for a little something."

Who looked at him desperately. "And what is it?"

"The body I need for my Clémentine." Cécil hissed.

He snapped his fingers and in less than a blink, the shadow fastened a rope around Who's neck, pulled her towards the wall and began to choke her. Cécil laughed loudly while the girl _thrashed_ about like a fish out of water, trying to escape from the mortal embrace but the shadow tightened the rope more and more. Just when Who was about to close her eyes and surrender to darkness, a battle cry pulled her back to the living world. She saw how Raphael kicked Cécil away from her and Leo cutting the rope around her neck. She gasped loudly trying to suck in precious air and leaned into Leo, tired and dizzy.

Don and Mikey swung their weapons at Cécil's body but they didn't have a chance to harm him; the shadow froze their moves and pushed them to the wall brutally. Leo and Raph charged and slashed Cécil's back, legs and arms rapidly before the same unnatural force pushed them towards their fallen brothers. The shadow let out a scream and the ninjas' weapons followed the source by their own, like if possessed; then, they pointed at their masters and charged. The guys dodged the incoming attacks but the weapons charged again, faster this time.

Who growled and jumped high, grabbing Don's floating bo staff in the process. She ran towards Cécil and before he could notice, she clubbed him hard on the back of his neck.

Cécil fell to ground heavily and the ghostly attacks stopped as fast as they started.

The turtles picked up their weapons and approached Cécil's body.

"Is he dead?" Mikey asked.

Raph placed his fingers on Cécil's neck. "Still has pulse. He's just unconscious"

"We should take him out of the sewers, just in case he wakes up and follows us" Who suggested.

Don and Raph picked up Cécil's body and disappeared with him into the nearest tunnel exit, not before taking his phone and destroying him.

…

* * *

Once in the lair, the guys tried to find a logical explanation of what the hell had just happened but failed in the process. The truth is: there was no explanation!

A ghost had attacked them and that was it!

Although it was past midnight, none of them were in the mood for sleeping, not after what they had experienced. Who, on the other hand, had to force herself to sleep. For tomorrow it would be her debut and she wasn't allowed to be sleepy that glorious day.

She had just closed her eyes when a weird pale figure called her name. It was Clémentine.

"_This madness has to stop. Claudette must be destroyed!"_

"Claudette LeClaire? That's the creepy shadow thing that's always with him, right?" Who asked. "What does she want?"

"_Revenge" _Clémentine answered, her voice oozing sadness. _"Claudette loved Cécil, but he was just using her. When he disposed of her to resurrect me, she couldn't accept her fate and her soul was trapped in the same limbo I find myself in. With the years, she began to uses Cécil's plans to bring me back for herself. I tried to communicate with him but she overpowered me. Now my beloved thinks the monster beside him is me and once she finds a body for herself, she will kill him!"_

Who looked at the crying ghost and felt sorry for her. But she was also curious about something. "Clémentine, I must know… why can't you rest in peace?"

"_Unlike Claudette, I accepted I was dead the day of the accident but Cécil didn't. His grief and self blame trapped me by accident in his broken heart. He never let go of my memory… and that's why I'm still here"_

Who sighed. "I really wish I could help you"

Clémentine looked into the girl's eyes. _"You must talk to Cécil. Make him see the truth so he can finally be free from Claudette"_

After this, Clémentine vanished.

Who woke up with a loud gasp, her forehead sweaty and her hands shaky. That had been a weird dream… but dream or not, her friends had to know about it. She found them gathered in the living room and explained them the situation with details; though she wasn't sure of what she had seen either.

"Ok, let me get this straight…" Don started "…we're dealing with, not one, but two ghosts: Clémentine and Claudette and Claudette is the evil one?"

"Exactly"

Raph huffed. "This is all madness! I say we get rid of Cécil for good!"

"And how are we going to get a new Phantom for tomorrow's musical?" Mikey retorted.

"We don't have to get rid of him." Leo said with a slight smile. "Cécil wants Who? He'll have Who"

The girl looked at him in shock. Was he for real? Was he really going to risk her life? Leaving those questions unanswered, Leo continued.

"Who will go there and play her part while we stay around and if something goes wrong, we jump in stop everything"

"How do we disguise ourselves?" Raph asked. "Cuz you do realize we can't go a musical just with our _'turtle costumes'_, right?"

"Problem solved. I've been working on something for this special occasion," Don said pulling out from a box four Phantom of the Opera masks that covered their heads completely.

"Then it's settled. Tomorrow, the curtain falls for Cécil and his demonic apparition" Leo stated firmly.

Mikey chuckled. "Whoa! Spoken like a true Raoul, Leo"

"I can't do this."

The turtles turned their attention to their human friend, who had remained silent until now.

"But you have to. Clémentine herself asked you to do it, Who." Don replied.

"I never said I accepted her terms!" Who replied back, her voice quivering with fear.

Leo pulled her into a hug and lightly kissed the top of her head. "Who, I gave you my word: No one will hurt you as long as I'm here, remember?"

She pulled away from him and rose from her seat. "I'm just glad Dad is going to miss my debut. He won't have to see his daughter getting killed in front of thousands of people"

She walked away from her friends and ran. Leo's first impulse was to follow Who but her words echoed in his mind: _Her dad was missing her debut? _

"What did she mean by that?" He asked.

"Don't you know? Her dad is not gonna see her sing" Mikey answered.

Leo frowned. "You mean, he_ wasn't_"

Raph smirked knowingly when he saw his brother making his way to Don's lab, where they kept their emergency clothes. "You have something in mind, Fearless?"

Smirking back, Leo nodded. "You bet I have"


	20. Chapter 20

_**Radio Music Hall**_

_**7:30 pm**_

…

Public of all ages, dressed up in their finest clothes and wearing Phantom of the Opera masks, waited in their seats while reading the program. People backstage resembled ants in their colony, running from side to side, making sure actors, singers, musicians, scenario, lights and costumes were all in position.

Everything was ready for the musical to begin. Everything… except the lead soprano.

Leo knocked Who's dressing room's door softly before entering. "Hi. You ready?"

Who was wearing a puffy, pearl grey ball gown; silver jewelry and her hair had been curled and decorated with silver flowers. She didn't have to much makeup on and Leo was glad for that; Who didn't really need the stuff anyway.

"Does it look like I'm ready?" She said with a sigh.

Smiling, Leonardo pulled out a new yin-yang pendant form his pocket; he stepped behind her and slowly _put the necklace around her neck._

"Now you're ready" He said, admiring his handiwork.

Who touched the pendant and smiled a little. But her happiness was brief for she had seen the picture of her father placed beside the hand mirror in her drawer.

She took the picture and her eyes turned glassy. "I can't believe he won't be here. All those things I said to him… I shouldn't have been so rude"

"You were just upset," Leo replied. "And I'm sure he's not angry at you"

Who looked at him quizzically. "How do _you _know that?"

Leo chuckled and pulled her into a hug. "I just know"

"_Has anyone seen Cécil?" _

Lucile's voice caught Leo and Who's attention; the both of them pressed their ears against the door to listen to the rest of the conversation.

"_Hasn't he arrived yet?" _Evans asked.

"_I don't know! I've been calling him like crazy and he doesn't pick up his phone!"_ Lucile answered sounding desperate. _"We can't start without him!"  
_

"_We can't let the public waiting either"_ Evans replied. _"Let Stefano replace him. He's been Phantom and Raoul before; I'm sure he can handle this"_

Leo smirked. "Seems like our friend is not in shape for the big concert"

Who smirked back. "I wonder why"

"I'll let the guys know Cécil is not here but we'll stay vigilant."

With that said, Leo lifted his mask a little and planted a kiss on Who's cheek taking the girl totally by surprise.

"Good luck," he said before leaving the dressing room.

Who brought a hand to her cheek and felt her face warmer than usual. "O…k? That was unexpected"

After getting over the shock, she left the dressing room as well.

There was no backing out now; the time had come.

…

* * *

While the musical continued, the Hamato brothers kept their eyes opened for any sign of Cécil; the ninjas had chosen strategic places all over the theater's catwalks, highest platforms and communicated via shell cells.

After analyzing his perimeter for the tenth time now, Leonardo decided it was time to get information from the others as well. Pressing the three-way calling button, Leo contacted his brothers.

"Guys, status"

"_All clear,"_ Don informed.

"_Same here,"_ Mikey seconded.

"_Nothing but ballerinas in here,"_ Raph commented.

"_Aw man! You always get the good spots!"_ Mikey whined. _"Leo, can me and Raph trade places?"_

"Focus Mikey!" Leo reprimanded him and went back to his vigilante duties.

He allowed himself to look at the scenario for a few minutes; Who was there with _"Raoul",_ singing the romantic duet. Memories of previous nights came to Leo's mind; he could still feel her touch on his skin and her eyes looking at his like trying to read his soul.

Leo sighed deeply; that had been a magical moment he wished he could experience again anytime soon.

"_Hey, Leo" _Raph's voice coming from the shell cell interrupted the leader's thoughts. _"Do you think he'll come?"_

"Well, the first act is about to finish so I don't think-"

"_-I'm not talking about Cécil" _

Leo understood immediately his red-clad sibling was talking about Dr. D, Who's father.

"Well, I did my best. We just have to wait and see"

Hours passed and the musical was reaching its final songs. The public was pretty pleased with Evans' direction job and with the lead singers' interpretation among other things. Backstage, there were so many theories of Cécil Dubois' whereabouts: maybe he'd been caught in New York City's traffic, caught the flu… returned to Paris? Whichever was the reason, they were still concerned and intrigued of Dubois' absence but with Stefano as his replacement, at least the musical was still perfect.

Who wasn't as tense as she was at the beginning of the musical and neither were the Hamatos. Well, not all the Hamatos.

There was still one taking his job pretty seriously.

"Any sign of Cécil?" Leo asked.

"_Not yet"_ Raph answered from his vigilance spot.

"_The play is almost over; when is he going to show up?" _Don asked more to himself than to his brothers.

"_I don't know you guys, but if he doesn't come at all, I'm ok with that"_ Mikey commented.

"How about Who's dad, is there any sign of him?"

"_No" _The three ninjas answered in unison. Leo rubbed his temples in frustration and sighed loudly.

"_Easy there, Fearless. He'll be here," _Raph said.

"How are _you _so sure of that? At this point, _I'm_ not even sure myself!" The leader replied.

"_Hey, if you can convince __**me**__ from not going topside… most of the time… then I know for a fact that her old man's gonna be here. Now shut up and listen to your girlfriend" _

Leo facepalmed. "She's not-"

"_-WE KNOW!"_ It came the three brother's loud reply from Leo's shell cell.

…

* * *

The curtain fell once more time and the scenario was quickly replaced with tombstones, angel statues and graveyard items for the next scene. Meanwhile in the dressing room, Fiona helped Who fix her makeup and clothing.

"Ok Whoey, you're next! Remember, deep breaths, loosen up your shoulders and keep a straight posture"

"Fiona, I know. You're been telling me that since we started," Who rolled her eyes and chuckled. "What's the next scene again?"

Fiona picked the script and read it out loud. "Christine, torn between her love for Raoul and her gratitude for the Phantom's teaching, visits her father's grave, longing for his guidance."

Who suddenly dropped the bottle of water she was drinking, spluttering a bit of it.

Fiona arched a brow. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, really"

She lied, there_ was_ something wrong indeed. The thought of having to perform hers and her dad's favorite song of this musical-_without _her dad there to see her- made her heart shrink; every musician knew that emotions took the best of you and if you didn't know how to control them, they would ruin you but nothing could stop the great pain in her soul and _in pain,_ she walked towards the stage.

The curtain rose on. The orchestra began to play. She glanced at the public, her father wasn't there.

'_The show must go on,'_ she thought grimly.

Closing her eyes, she began to sing.

"_You were once my one companion, _

_you were all that mattered._

_You were once a friend and father,_

_then my world was shattered._

_Wishing you were somehow here again,_

_wishing you were somehow near;_

_sometimes it seemed if I just dreamed_

_Somehow you would be here…"_

So many memories came to her mind and the pain intensified. A knot began to form in her throat and she swallowed it immediately; this wasn't the time for a breakdown, she had to continue.

_"Wishing I could hear your voice again,_

_knowing that I never would._

_Dreaming of you won't help me to do_

_all that you dreamed I could…"_

Leonardo sighed deeply and glanced at the public: no sign of Who's dad. He shook his head in disappointment and glanced at his friend; whoever that looked at her could say that was the most realistic sad façade ever seen. But Leo knew this was no acting, the pain was real.

She continued. _"Passing bells and sculpted angels,_

_cold and monumental, _

_seem, for you, the wrong companions;_

_you were warm and gentle…"_

Tears fought their way out of Who's closed eyes; she knelt slowly, bowed her head while the orchestra played.

"_Too many years fighting back tears:_

_Why can't the past just die?!"_

Intense muttering could be heard in the theater forcing Who to open her eyes. More tears trickled down her face but these tears were not of sadness, these were tears of joy.

Walking through the long corridor, there was a very elegant man with no mask unlike the rest of the audience. It was Who's father.

Standing up and making her way down-stage, the girl sang with renewed forces.

"_Wishing you were somehow here again,_

_knowing we must say: 'Goodbye'._

_Try to forgive, teach me to live._

_Give me the strength to try!" _

Who kept walking, her eyes gazing into her father's; not caring about the world around her.

"_No more memories, no more silent tears._

_No more gazing across the wasted years…"_

Father and daughter stood a few inches away from each other and smiled, fresh tears running down their faces. Dr. D leaned forward and sweetly kissed Who's forehead.

With a big smile, the girl finished the song.

"_Help me say, 'Goodbye',_

_help me say… 'Goodbye'!"_

By the time the song was over, people had risen from their seats and the theater filled with applauses, whistling and cheering. Up in their vigilance spots, the Hamato brothers applauded and smiled at the tender scene.

In his mind, Leo had only one thought in his mind: Mission accomplished.

…

* * *

Finally the last scene from act 2; everything had gone better than planned and there was no sign of Cécil. At this point, the Hamatos had abandoned their spots and joined Leo in the high catwalk right below the scenario.

"_Passarino - Go away for the trap it is set and waits for its prey," _The masked tenor recited.

"_You have come here__  
In pursuit of your deepest urge__  
In pursuit of that wish which till now__  
Has been silent__  
Silent…_

_I have brought you__  
That our passions may fuse and merge__  
In your mind you've already succumbed to me, dropped all defenses__  
Completely succumbed to me__  
Now you are here with me__  
No second thoughts__  
You've decided__  
Decided…__"_

Suddenly, a cold and familiar breeze hit Who's face. She stared in horror at the man before her eyes. "Cécil…" she whispered.

The tenor smiled at her and approached Who slowly.

_"Past the point of no return__  
No backward glances__  
Our games of make-believe are at an end.__  
_

_Past all thought of "if" or "when"  
No use resisting__  
Abandon thought and let the dream descend  
_

_What raging FIRE shall flood the soul_

_What rich desire unlocks it's door_

_What sweet seduction lies before us?__"_

Who tried to move but she found herself frozen. Just like the first time. Cécil walked around her like a vulture, looking at her lustfully.

"_Past the point of no return_

_The final threshold_

_What warm unspoken secrets__  
Will we learn__  
Beyond the point of no return?"_

Who looked around her, behind her… where was Stefano? Her gaze landed in the public and found him. Cécil had probably arrived in secret and Stefano, not knowing Cécil's real intentions, lent him the disguise and retired from the stage now he was no longer needed.

What was she going to do?

'_The show must go on,' _she thought. Before singing her part, she gave a brief glance to the place she knew Leo would be observing and yes, the leader noticed her signal.

He gave the order to the others and the ninjas slowly made their way down. Who looked back at Cécil and taking a deep breath, she played along. _  
_

"_You have brought me__  
To that moment when words run dry__  
To that moment when speech disappears__  
Into silence__  
Silence.__  
_

_I have come here,_

_Hardly knowing the reason why__  
In my mind I've already imagined__  
Our bodies entwining__  
Defenseless and silent,__  
Now I am here with you__  
No second thoughts__  
I've decided__  
Decided."_

Giving firm steps, Who walked to Cécil's direction.

"_Past the point of no return__  
No going back now__  
Our passion-play has now at last begun._

_Past all thought of right or wrong__  
One final question__:__  
How long should we two wait before we're one?_

_When will the blood begin to race_

_The sleeping bud burst into bloom__  
When will the flames at last consume us?__"_

Soprano and tenor were now in the arms of the other; Who remained calmed but deep inside, she was dying of fear. When would he attack? Where did he hide the weapon?

Cécil's hands tightened around her waist pulling her closer.

_"Past the point of no return__  
The final threshold__  
The bridge is crossed  
So stand and watch it burn__  
We've passed the point of no return…"_

The ninjas were now a few meters away; any weird move and they would strike. The orchestra played softly and Cécil stroked Who's cheek lovingly.

"_Say you'll share with me__  
one love, one lifetime__;__  
lead me, save me from my solitude.__  
Say you want me__  
with you here__, b__eside you__  
Anywhere you go__  
let me go too__…"_

Who was too focused on the tenor's eyes that she didn't notice the moment Cécil had stopped his caresses and from his cape pulled a silver dagger. Donatello, however, saw the shining blade and threw a shuriken at Cécil's shoulder.

"_Christine, that's all I ask of-"_

Cécil wasn't able to finish his phrase; the shuriken buried in his flesh and he roared in pain. Who woke up from her trance and pulled away from him but he stopped her. In less than a blink, Cécil twisted the scared girl's arm back, pulled her back to him and pressed the blade against her neck. People in the theater gasped and yelled in shock; Dr. D was about to run to the stage but security forces stopped him and the rest of the public from going up there.

Leonardo and his brothers jumped into action, weapons ready for the kill.

"Let her go, Cécil!" The leader yelled demandingly.

"Cécil, have you gone mad?! Let the girl go and put down that weapon!" Evans yelled from down-stage.

Cécil grinned manically. "This is not your musical anymore, Evans! Now I hold the aces!"

Out of nowhere, a loud scream was heard in the theater and the chandelier's candles fell; their flames consuming everything in their way rapidly. All hell broke loose, people ran away from the place but the shadow blocked all the exits.

"Guys, get these people out of here! I'll take care of Cécil" Leo ordered.

The others jumped off the scenario and ran towards the doors, using their weapons and brute force to open them.

Back on stage, Leo approached Cécil but he was pushed away by a strong wave of air losing one of his swords in the process.

Cécil laughed madly. "Have you forgotten so soon about my beloved Clémentine?"

The shadow attacked again, this time with Leo's own sword. While Leo was distracted, Cécil dragged Who away from the burning scenario, the dagger still pressed against the soft skin.

"Cécil, please, listen to me!" Who pleaded "That ghost, that shadow… that's not Clémentine! It's Claudette LeClaire!"

Cécil turned Who around so she was facing him and grabbed her arms tightly. "What do you know about Claudette?"

At the sound of the name, the shadow turned its head swiftly towards Cécil and Who; never ceasing to attack Leonardo.

"All I know is that if you kill me, it won't be Clémentine you will resurrect; it'll be Claudette"

The tenor's expression was unreadable. His mouth was opened in shock. "What?"

The shadow screamed again and flew towards the dark haired girl with the sword aiming at her head.

Who noticed this and tackled Cécil to the ground. "WATCH OUT!"

Cécil stood up immediately and stared at the shadow in ager. "Look where you point that thing, cher! You could have killed me"

Something unexpected happened: the shadow took a feminine form and for the first time in years showed her true face. _"That's exactly the point, my love" _She hissed.

Taking advantage of Cécil's distraction, Who ran to Leo's direction; helped him to get up and tried to find a quick escape route, preferably not blocked by fire.

"_It's payback time, Cécil! You used me, killed me to bring back your dead whore. Now it's my turn!"_

"Don't you dare to insult my bride, you demon!" Cécil growled.

"_Your __**dead**__ bride, Cécil!"_ Claudette corrected him.

"What have you done with Clémentine? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HER SPIRIT?!"

"_Me? It is you who have trapped her! Buried her with your madness and grief… you killed her, Cécil. You killed her again"_

"SHUT UP! Mark my words… you shall pay for this!"

Cécil hadn't even finished his threat when he felt himself being lifted by his neck. Claudette laughed while her unnatural powers possessed a rope and tightened more around the tenor's neck. Leonardo ran towards him and, after recuperating his sword, he cut the rope which infuriated Claudette; she waved her hand and sent both Cécil and Leo to the wall again.

Who glanced back at saw blood coming from Cécil and Leo's heads. Just when she ran to help them, Claudette materialized in front of her, arms folded against her ghostly body.

"_Where do you think you're going?"_

"Claudette, I know what Cécil did to you was despicable but you have to understand, he just wanted his bride back" Who tried to reason with the ghost.

Claudette screamed again, breaking some glasses in the process. _"__**I **__could've been a better bride __**and**__ wife! I loved him!" _She replied angrily

"And do you think by murdering me or him your soul will finally rest in peace?!" Who asked her accusingly.

Claudette looked at the girl, her frown disappearing_. "No…"_

Who sighed and smiled at her, Claudette smiled back before disappearing… just to appear at the top of the chandelier holding Cécil's dagger in her ghostly hand.

"… _but at least I'll take you all to Hell with me!" _

With a dark, loud laugh, Claudette swung the small blade and cut the yet to be-burned ropes. The turtles down-stage and the one semi-conscious upstage looked in horror how the chandelier fell directly to the spot where Who was standing; the latter let out a scream of pure panic before the giant artifact impacted on the wooden floor.

"WHO, NO!" Leo screamed desperately. He jumped up like a spring and ran towards the girl.

To his surprise, it wasn't Who the one under the chandelier.

It was Cécil, who driven by the memories of his past, saw Clémentine standing there and did what he should have done many years ago in Paris.

Claudette screamed again as she slowly began to fade away with the wind; she pulled her ghostly hair in rage and her screams didn't stop until the last bit of her soul vanished forever.

Leo looked at Cécil's unmoving body and noticed that Who lied on her side a few inches away from the now deceased tenor.

The blue-clad ninja knelt beside her and helped her sit up. "Are you ok?"

Who nodded, a trickle of blood coming from her forehead. Shakily, she stood up and hugged Leo tightly, her body trembling with sobs.

…

* * *

…

_**Paris-France**_

_**A couple of months later.**_

…

Who and Leo sat by a couple of beautifully decorated gravestones. Cécil had been buried beside his eternal love, just as he requested in the small testament Who found written in his journal.

"I can't believe he died saving me," she sighed.

"We'll remember his sacrifice and honor his memory. It's the least we can do now" Leo said placing white roses in both graves.

The couple stayed in silence, staring the names engraved in the stone: _Cécil Dubois_ and _Clémentine Rousseau. _A few minutes later, Leo and Who stood up from their spots on the grass; it was time to go back to the copter.

"Do you think they're finally at peace?" The blue-clad ninja asked out of curiosity.

Who was about to answer when she felt a different breeze caress her face; this was warmer and soothing. She looked at the direction where the breeze came from and only she could see Clémentine and Cécil sharing a loving kiss; then, the couple looked at her and mouthed: _'Thank you'._

Smiling, Who gave the couple a curt nod before they disappeared forever.

"They are" She answered.

Before they left, Who placed two more items on the graves: a lonely blue rose on Clémentine's and The Phantom's mask on Cécil's.

* * *

…

…

I hope you have enjoyed this crazy fic of mine. I really thank you all for your reviews, they mean a lot to me. And now, there's not more to say but:

_**HAPPY HALLOWEN EVERYONE!**_


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